Basketball Game Preview: Southwestern Piasa Birds vs. North Mac Panthers

The Southwestern Piasa Birds are taking a road trip to take on the North Mac Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Mac took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Southwestern, who comes in off a win.

Last Tuesday, Southwestern didn't have too much trouble with Gillespie as they won 55-41. The Piasa Birds haven't had any issues with the Miners recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.

Ian Brantley

Steals (Career)

02/18/25 @ Gillespie	5
02/09/24 vs Carlinville	4
12/13/24 vs Litchfield	3
02/14/25 vs Carlinville	2
02/07/25 vs Vandalia	2

Southwestern relied on the efforts of Ian Brantley, who went 7-for-12 en route to 16 points in addition to eight boards and five steals, and Ryan Lowis, who went 5-for-9 on his way to 15 points and six rebounds. Those five steals gave Brantley a new career-high. Logan Custer was another key player, putting up ten points.

Fans were treated to a Battle of the Panthers on Tuesday. The matchup between North Mac and Pana didn't end well, with North Mac falling 53-35. North Mac has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Southwestern's win bumped their record up to 17-12. As for North Mac, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-18.

Southwestern came out on top in a nail-biter against North Mac in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, sneaking past 43-41. The rematch might be a little tougher for Southwestern since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.