Basketball Game Preview: Upstate HomeSchool Bearcats vs. Providence Athletic Club Panthers

Upstate HomeSchool hasn't had much luck against Providence Athletic Club recently, but that could start to change on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Upstate HomeSchool Bearcats face off against the Providence Athletic Club Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Back in December of 2024, Upstate HomeSchool ended up a good deal behind Asheville T and lost 52-36. The Bearcats were down 47-26 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Providence Athletic Club's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 76-63 loss to South Charlotte. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Panthers came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 188th in South Carolina, while the Thunder are ranked 542nd in North Carolina).

Upstate HomeSchool will need focus on slowing down Freeman Bult, one of several Providence Athletic Club players who made an impact when they last played. He shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten boards. Bult's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Lara, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 16 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Providence Athletic Club smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Providence Athletic Club's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Upstate HomeSchool, their loss dropped their record down to 5-5.

Upstate HomeSchool ended up a good deal behind Providence Athletic Club in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, losing 51-35. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bult, who went 9 of 17 on his way to 25 points. Now that Upstate HomeSchool knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.