Two dominant guards in Cooper Nelson and Antron Mason II are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sterlington Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Bastrop Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Sterlington has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Bastrop will arrive with six straight wins.
Sterlington is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came up short against Richwood on Tuesday, falling 97-76. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 161st, while the Rams are ranked 50th).
| 01/28/25 vs Richwood | 36 |
| 01/24/25 vs Carroll | 19 |
| 01/18/25 vs Lincoln Prep | 24 |
| 01/16/25 @ Montgomery | 23 |
| 01/14/25 vs Ouachita Parish | 31 |
Sterlington might have lost, but man, Nelson was a machine: he went 11 of 21 en route to 36 points and six assists. The contest was Nelson's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Gaven Evans was another key player, going 6 for 12 on his way to 15 points.
Even though they lost, Sterlington smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Bastrop hadn't done well against Carroll recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Bastrop walked away with a 68-61 victory over Carroll.
Bastrop's win came from a few key players Sterlington will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Devin Tyson, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. Those 22 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mason II, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 boards.
Bastrop pushed their record up to 13-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.3 points per game. As for Sterlington, their loss dropped their record down to 11-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sterlington has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bastrop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Sterlington against Bastrop when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 74-37 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sterlington since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
