Marion Center has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Punxsutawney Chucks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Marion Center was fully in charge, breezing past Purchase Line 51-17 at home. Given Marion Center's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while Purchase Line is ranked 322nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Punxsutawney put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Clarion Area 53-31. The result was nothing new for Punxsutawney, who have now won five contests by 22 points or more so far this season.
Avary Powell was her usual excellent self, scoring 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. The game was her fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Danielle Griebel, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Marion Center pushed their record up to 6-1 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points per game. As for Punxsutawney, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
Marion Center took a serious blow against Punxsutawney in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, falling 67-37. Can Marion Center avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
