Basketball Game Preview: Chestnut Ridge Lions vs. Penn Cambria Panthers

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Chestnut Ridge Lions take on the Penn Cambria Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday... Chestnut Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully Penn Cambria likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, Chestnut Ridge beat Bellwood-Antis 62-51. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 194th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 684th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Penn Cambria ended up a good deal behind Greater Johnstown on Thursday and lost 64-48. The Panthers haven't had much luck with the Trojans recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Chestnut Ridge will have to contain Caden Gibbons as he made an impact in Penn Cambria's last game. He almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards. Gavin Harrold was another key player, putting up ten points along with six assists and five boards.

Even though they lost, Penn Cambria smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in four consecutive contests.

Penn Cambria's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Chestnut Ridge, they pushed their record up to 7-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.

Chestnut Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Penn Cambria in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 70-58. Will Chestnut Ridge repeat their success, or does Penn Cambria have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.