The Nederland Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Cripple Creek-Victor Pioneers at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Nederland is no doubt hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Nederland scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Monday. They breezed by Vanguard Classical East at home to the tune of 73-39. The win was just what Nederland needed coming off of a 84-24 defeat in their prior game.
Nederland's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Rick Fortunato led the charge by scoring 13 points along with six assists. Another player making a difference was Landon Ritch, who scored 13 points.
Meanwhile, Cripple Creek-Victor pushed their score all the way to 55 last Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. Their rough 78-55 loss to Centennial might stick with them for a while. The match was up for grabs at halftime, but sadly Cripple Creek-Victor struggled afterwards.
Despite the defeat, Cripple Creek-Victor got a solid performance out of Damian Reyes, who scored 23 points. Myles Durham was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Nederland's win bumped their record up to 4-9. As for Cripple Creek-Victor, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-10.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Nederland have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Cripple Creek-Victor, though, as they've been averaging only 2 rebounds per game. Given Nederland's sizable advantage in that area, Cripple Creek-Victor will need to find a way to close that gap.
Nederland was taken down by Cripple Creek-Victor 62-28 in their previous meeting back in January. Can Nederland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
