The Phillipsburg Panthers will square off against the Norton Bluejays at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Phillipsburg's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six games.
On Tuesday, Phillipsburg was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 60-56 to Trego.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Norton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They took their contest on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 50-20 victory over Oakley. The Bluejays haven't had any issues with the Plainsmen recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Phillipsburg better focus on containing Rylen Murray and Ashton Kats as the pair were huge in Norton's win. Murray posted 17 points and three steals, while Kats went 6-for-10 to rack up 15 points and four steals. Kats is becoming a predictor of Norton's success: when he posts at least 15 points the team is undefeated (and 0-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Braylin Brooks, who scored four points and eight boards.
Norton was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They are 4-1 when they've passed the ball that well.
Norton's victory bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Phillipsburg, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 5-4.
Phillipsburg came up short against Norton in their previous meeting back in January of 2025, falling 59-50. Thankfully for the Panthers, Eli Jones (who shot 65% from the field en route to 33 points and eight rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
