Basketball Game Preview: Sale Creek Panthers vs. Copper Basin Cougars

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Sale Creek Panthers challenge the Copper Basin Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday... Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Sale Creek earned a 56-44 win over Sequatchie County. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.

Sale Creek's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Madilynn Ellis led the charge by going 6 for 12 on her way to 15 points and three steals. Ellis has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Trinity Smith was another key player, going 5 of 11 on her way to 13 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Copper Basin can finally bid farewell to their five-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts 79-33. With the Cougars ahead 44-15 at the half, the match was all but over already.

Sale Creek better keep an eye on Alexis Hyatt. She was instrumental in Copper Basin's win, going 12 of 21 on her way to 27 points and four steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Hyatt has scored at least a third of Copper Basin's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kloie Ballew, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 12 rebounds.

Copper Basin's victory bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Sale Creek, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sale Creek has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Copper Basin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Sale Creek came up short against Copper Basin in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 49-40. Will Sale Creek have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.