Basketball Game Preview: Hershey Panthers vs. Chase County Longhorns

Hershey is 1-9 against Chase County since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Hershey Panthers will be taking part in a tournament against the Chase County Longhorns at 8:00 p.m. Hershey is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.4 points per game this season.

Hershey took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past St. Patrick's 55-32. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 30-8.

Hershey got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Aubry Hall out in front who went 8 of 12 en route to 18 points and seven steals. The dominant performance gave Hall a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Kenna Bringewatt, who posted eight points in addition to five rebounds and five steals.

Hershey smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Chase County beat Perkins County 50-42 on Tuesday. Given the Longhorns' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Plainsmen are ranked 203rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hershey pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Chase County, their win bumped their record up to 7-5.

Hershey barely slipped by Chase County in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 48-47. Does Hershey have another victory up their sleeve, or will Chase County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.