If the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers were feeling good off their 58-27 takedown of the Watseka Warriors on Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Paxton-Buckley-Loda fell 47-40 to Hoopeston on Friday. Paxton-Buckley-Loda lost against Hoopeston in their previous head to head back in December of 2022, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 47-44 score last time.
Owen Root was his usual excellent self, scoring 23 points along with 3 blocks for Hoopeston. The match was Root's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Kendrick Sigerill, who scored 9 points along with 10 rebounds.
Paxton-Buckley-Loda has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season. As for Hoopeston, they pushed their record up to 6-3 with that victory, which was their third straight at home.
Paxton-Buckley-Loda will take on Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Paxton-Buckley-Loda in Illinois (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley is ranked 234th, while Paxton-Buckley-Loda is ranked 485th). As for Hoopeston, they will head out on the road to face off against Salt Fork at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
