The New Lexington Panthers entered their tilt with the West Muskingum Tornadoes with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. New Lexington enjoyed a cozy 52-34 win over the Tornadoes on Friday. Given New Lexington's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 160th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 587th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading New Lexington to victory were Isaiah Stephens and Bentley Hanson. Stephens scored 20 points along with five rebounds and two steals, while Hanson scored 16 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Stephens also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Eli Stephens, who scored two points along with six rebounds.
West Muskingum's loss came despite strong showings from Cade Porter and Carter Smith. Porter scored eight points along with two steals, while Smith scored nine points along with five rebounds.
West Muskingum struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as New Lexington racked up 12 assists.
New Lexington has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season. As for West Muskingum, they dropped their record down to 7-11 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. New Lexington will square off against the Electrics at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Philo is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. As for West Muskingum, they will head out on the road to challenge the Redskins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Coshocton has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 222 points over their last three contests.
