Helena is 0-10 against the Panthers since January of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Helena Huskies will take on the Pelham Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Helena is no doubt hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses.
On Wednesday, Helena suffered a rough 53-32 defeat at the hands of the Eagles.
Despite their defeat, Helena saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Isabel Heintz, who scored nine points along with six steals, was perhaps the best of all. Amari Grant was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Meanwhile, Pelham was fully in charge on Tuesday, breezing past the Eagles 65-33 on the road. Given Pelham's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Eagles are ranked 287th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pelham found their leader in underclassman Tee King, who scored 25 points along with six rebounds and three steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which King has scored at least a third of Pelham's points. Another player making a difference was Karma Wynn, who scored 17 points.
Helena has been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-20 record this season. As for Pelham, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 17-10 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Helena have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pelham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Helena took a serious blow against the Panthers in their previous matchup on Friday, falling 59-24. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of King, who scored 23 points along with three steals. Now that Helena knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
