The Panther Creek Catamounts will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Laney Buccaneers at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Panther Creek knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine matches -- so hopefully Laney likes a good challenge.
Even though Rockdale County scored an imposing 56 points on Friday, Panther Creek still came out on top. It was close, but Panther Creek ultimately received the gift of a 58-56 victory from a begrudging Catamountssquad. Given their advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 115th in North Carolina, while Rockdale County is ranked 291st in Georgia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Panther Creek to victory, but perhaps none more so than Greg Ehlinger, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. Those 18 points set a new season-high mark for him. Chris Uwayo was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Meanwhile, Laney put another one in the bag last Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They managed a 49-44 victory over Ashley.
Laney found their leader in underclassman Quin?sier Waddell, who scored 15 points. Those 15 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Avery Pruitt, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds.
Panther Creek's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Laney, their win bumped their record up to 8-0.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Panther Creek have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 50% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Laney struggles in that department as they've drained 41.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Panther Creek's way against Laney in their previous matchup back in December of 2016 as Panther Creek made off with a 68-47 win. Will Panther Creek repeat their success, or does Laney have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
