If the Prairie Heights Panthers were feeling good off their 66-34 takedown of the Hamilton Marines last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Prairie Heights took a 47-33 bruising from Bethany Christian on Tuesday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Prairie Heights of the 47-44 loss they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2023.
Despite the defeat, Prairie Heights saw an underclassman step up: Leo Hare scored three points along with five assists and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Messiah Johnson-solis, who scored six points along with eight rebounds.
Bethany Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyson Chupp led the charge by scoring 12 points along with six assists and three steals. Chupp is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Miller, who scored 11 points along with three steals.
Prairie Heights' defeat was their eighth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-11. As for Bethany Christian, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-7.
Prairie Heights will head out on the road to take on Whitko at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Whitko is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 53.1 points per game. As for Bethany Christian, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Hamilton at 3:00 p.m. Hamilton has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 2.
