The Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers will take on the Hoopeston Cornjerkers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Paxton-Buckley-Loda lost 63-38 to St. Joseph-Ogden on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while the Spartans are ranked 135th).
Meanwhile, Hoopeston's game on Tuesday was all tied up 29-29 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against Chrisman by a score of 65-54. The win continues a trend for the Cornjerkers in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won four in a row.
Hoopeston found their leader in freshman Alandize Barnett, who went 10-for-17 en route to 26 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Thanks to that strong game, Barnett now owns an excellent 47.4% shooting accuracy. Another player making a difference was Trenton Montez, who posted 19 points in addition to seven boards and six steals.
Hoopeston's victory bumped their record up to 18-11. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, their loss was their sixth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 12-14.
Paxton-Buckley-Loda came up short against Hoopeston in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 47-40. Thankfully for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Owen Root (who went 8-for-15 on his way to 23 points and three blocks) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
