Basketball Game Preview: Derby Panthers vs. South Cougars

Derby has gone 9-1 against South recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Panthers face off against the Cougars at 7:30 p.m. One thing working in Derby's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Last Friday, Derby earned an 80-67 win over Maize South. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while the Mavericks are ranked 99th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Avant Riley

Points

02/21/25 @ Maize South	25
01/25/25 vs Piper	21
12/06/24 vs Andover	21
01/23/25 @ Dodge City	19
12/20/24 vs Maize South	18

Derby found their leader in sophomore Avant Riley, who went 10-for-14 en route to 25 points along with five assists and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Riley has scored all season. Jack Ulwelling was another key player, putting up 20 points.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, South beat Valley Center 52-46 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.

South's victory bumped their record up to 7-11. As for Derby, their win was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-1.

Derby was able to grind out a solid victory over South in their previous matchup back in January, winning 63-50. The rematch might be a little tougher for Derby since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.