The Lakewood Park Christian Panthers will challenge the Montpelier Locomotives at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
It was a proper cat-fight when Lakewood Park Christian challenged Bluffton on Saturday. Lakewood Park Christian had to suffer through a 71-40 loss at the hands of Bluffton. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Tigers 19-12 in the first quarter.
| 01/04/25 @ Bluffton | 11 |
| 12/17/24 vs Eastside | 18 |
| 12/14/24 vs Fremont | 15 |
Lakewood Park Christian's loss came about despite a quality game from Avery MacFarlane, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards. MacFarlane is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down 11 or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Davi Freitas, who posted 13 points.
Meanwhile, Montpelier entered their tilt with Bryan on Saturday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They took down the Golden Bears 80-61. The Locomotives' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Montpelier's win came from a few key players Lakewood Park Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was C.J. Fidler, who almost dropped a double-double on 31 points and nine rebounds. Another player making a difference was Wesley Hartsock, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 18 points and seven assists.
Montpelier was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Montpelier's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Lakewood Park Christian, they dropped their record down to 2-5 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lakewood Park Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Montpelier struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lakewood Park Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Montpelier when the teams last played back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 56-51 win. Does Lakewood Park Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Montpelier turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
