The Batesburg-Leesville Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Fox Creek Predators at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Batesburg-Leesville has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while the Predators will arrive with ten straight victories.
Last Tuesday, Batesburg-Leesville was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 59-54 to the Bulldogs.
Despite their defeat, Batesburg-Leesville saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jr Stewart, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Amadre Wooden, who scored seven points along with five assists and two steals.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Fox Creek beat the Panthers 58-54 on Tuesday. Given Fox Creek's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 110th, while the Panthers are ranked 283rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Connor Cannon, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds. Brelan Baskett was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five rebounds.
Batesburg-Leesville has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season. As for Fox Creek, they pushed their record up to 16-9 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Batesburg-Leesville have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fox Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Batesburg-Leesville ended up a good deal behind the Predators in their previous matchup back in January, losing 56-38. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cannon, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 16 rebounds. Now that Batesburg-Leesville knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
