Preview: Excelsior Springs Tigers vs. Oak Grove Panthers
Excelsior Springs is on a three-game streak of home losses, Oak Grove an eight-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change. The Excelsior Springs Tigers will take on the Oak Grove Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Tuesday, Excelsior Springs was beaten by Grain Valley 68-18. While losing is never fun, Excelsior Springs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 502nd, while Grain Valley is ranked 111th).
Meanwhile, Oak Grove pushed their score all the way to 60 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Pleasant Hill by a score of 62-60. Oak Grove has struggled against Pleasant Hill recently, as their match on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the loss, Oak Grove had strong showings from Maurkalip Riley, who scored 19 points along with eight assists and six rebounds, and Phillip Nadeau, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. It was the first time this season that Riley posted eight or more assists. Jaxson Ford was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Excelsior Springs' loss dropped their record down to 3-16. As for Oak Grove, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-17 record this season.
Excelsior Springs came out on top in a nail-biter against Oak Grove in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, sneaking past 59-56. Will Excelsior Springs repeat their success, or does Oak Grove have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
