Basketball Game Preview: Pickerington North Panthers vs. Lincoln Lions

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Panthers duke it out with the Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Pickerington North's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last ten games.

Last Tuesday, Pickerington North didn't have too much trouble with Pickerington Central as they won 75-58. The Panthers pushed the score to 61-39 by the end of the third, a deficit the Tigers cut but never quite recovered from.

Arness Lawson

Points

02/18/25 vs Pickerington Central	17
02/14/25 vs New Albany	15
02/11/25 @ Upper Arlington	19
02/07/25 vs Grove City	28
01/31/25 @ Central Crossing	19
01/25/25 @ Central Catholic	25

Pickerington North relied on the efforts of Favor McFadden, who dropped a double-double with 27 points and ten boards, and Arness Lawson, who went 8-for-12 en route to 17 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. The contest was Lawson's sixth in a row with at least 15 points. Kendrick Duru was another key player, going 5-for-8 to rack up 11 points.

Pickerington North smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 32 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Lincoln came up short against Westerville South on Tuesday and fell 66-54.

Pickerington North's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.2 points over those games. As for Lincoln, their loss dropped their record down to 9-11.

Pickerington North was able to grind out a solid win over Lincoln when the teams last played back in January, winning 64-54. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pickerington North since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.