Basketball Recap: Hershey Makes It Five in a Row at Home

Panthers

Margin (Wins)

01/06/26 @ South Loup	27
12/30/25 vs Twin Loup	27
12/29/25 vs Lexington	25
12/18/25 vs Kimball	25
01/09/26 vs Maxwell	24

While Hershey didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on the Maxwell Wildcats with a sharp 76-52 victory on Friday. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 24 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hershey to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cole Murdock, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten assists. Murdock is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Ryan Murphy, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Hershey was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Maxwell only racked up eight.

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jesse Reyes, who posted 15 points and six boards. Tayton Phillips was another key player, putting up 15 points and three steals.

Hershey's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.4 points over those games. As for Maxwell, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

Looking ahead, Hershey will host Gothenburg at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Panthers will need to watch out since the Swedes have now posted at least 55 points in their last seven contests. As for Maxwell, they have already played their next matchup, a 61-40 defeat against Overton on the 10th.