The Panther Valley Panthers will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Marian Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Panther Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 348th, while Marian Catholic is ranked 161st).
Last Monday, Panther Valley lost to North Schuylkill at home by a decisive 55-40 margin. Panther Valley has struggled against North Schuylkill recently, as their match on Monday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Panther Valley got a solid performance out of Drew Kokinda, who scored 15 points along with three steals. Those three steals set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Fisher, who scored four points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Marian Catholic waltzed into their match Saturday with five straight wins but they left with six. They were the clear victor by a 69-48 margin over Lehigh Valley Academy. Marian Catholic might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won three matches by 21 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Julius Currie, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds. The game was his fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was James Rodino, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Panther Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Marian Catholic, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Panther Valley hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 56 points per game. It's a different story for Marian Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 62.8 points per game. The only thing between Panther Valley and another offensive beatdown is Marian Catholic. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Panther Valley came up short against Marian Catholic in their previous matchup on December 1st, falling 58-48. Can Panther Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
