Basketball Game Preview: Corona Panthers vs. Norco Cougars

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Corona Panthers take on the Norco Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday... Corona is coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.

Last Saturday, Corona greeted the New Year with with a 48-34 win over South Hills. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 187th, while the Huskies are ranked 565th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Corona's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alex Flores, who posted 17 points and five steals. Flores' afternoon made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabella Acosta, who put up eight points and seven steals.

Meanwhile, Norco was beaten by Valley Christian 57-24 on Monday.

Corona is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.2 points per game. As for Norco, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Everything came up roses for Corona against Norco in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 76-35 victory. Will Corona repeat their success, or does Norco have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.