Basketball Game Preview: Geneva Panthers vs. Lyons Lions

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Geneva Panthers duke it out with the Lyons Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday... Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Geneva took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Newark 63-60. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 174th, while the Reds are ranked 376th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lyons had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They enjoyed a cozy 70-52 win over the Rams.

Lyons is also on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.3 points per game. As for Geneva, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.

Geneva came up short against Lyons in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 55-49. Can Geneva avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.