The Laney Buccaneers will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Panther Creek Catamounts at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Laney comes in on eight and Panther Creek on three.
Last Friday, Laney didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Ashley, but they still walked away with a 49-44 win. Given Laney's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while Ashley is ranked 310th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Laney found their leader in underclassman Quin?sier Waddell, who scored 15 points. That's the first time this season that Waddell scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Pruitt, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, even though Rockdale County scored an imposing 56 points on Friday, Panther Creek still came out on top. Panther Creek narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Rockdale County 58-56.
Panther Creek got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Greg Ehlinger out in front who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. That's the first time this season that Ehlinger scored 15 or more points. Chris Uwayo was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Laney's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-0. As for Panther Creek, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Laney hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 59.1 points per game. However, it's not like Panther Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 74.2 points per game. The only thing between Laney and another offensive beatdown is Panther Creek. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Laney suffered a grim 68-47 defeat to Panther Creek when the teams last played back in December of 2016. Will Laney have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.