Basketball Game Preview: Hale Cardinals vs. Grundy County/Newtown-Harris Panthers

The Hale Cardinals will be defending their home court for the first time this season when they go up against the Grundy County/Newtown-Harris Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Cardinals fans will have to keep waiting for their team to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Thursday's season opener. They snuck past Meadville with a 79-73 win two weeks ago. The victory was familiar territory for the Cardinals who have now won six matchups in a row dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Grundy County/Newtown-Harris strolled past Bucklin-Macon County with points to spare on Monday, taking the game 53-37.

Hale better keep an eye on Hunter Miller. He was instrumental in Grundy County/Newtown-Harris' win, dropping a double-double on 26 points and 12 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Miller has scored at least a third of Grundy County/Newtown-Harris' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleb Bower, who posted eight points and ten rebounds.

Grundy County/Newtown-Harris smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.

Hale came up short against Grundy County/Newtown-Harris in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 75-62. Can Hale avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.