Ellicottville has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Panama Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Monday, Ellicottville didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Pine Valley Central, but they still walked away with a 52-46 victory.
Owen Chudy was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 25 points and 18 rebounds. Chudy is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Carter Smith, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Panama's game on Thursday was all tied up 36-36 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They walked away with a 69-58 win over Frewsburg. Given Panama's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 189th, while Frewsburg is ranked 381st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Bryce Hinsdale, who scored 31 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Carter Brink was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Ellicottville pushed their record up to 8-4 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Panama, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Ellicottville have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Panama struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ellicottville ended up a good deal behind Panama in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, losing 74-56. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Brink, who scored 32 points along with five assists and four steals. Now that Ellicottville knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
