The Gadsden Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Immanuel Christian Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Tuesday, Gadsden came up short against Silver and fell 42-33. The Panthers have struggled against the Fighting Colts recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Troy Vargas, who posted seven points and eight boards. Another player making a difference was Izaiah Sena, who put up six points.
Meanwhile, Immanuel Christian also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Eastlake by a score of 56-49. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 1148th, while the Falcons are ranked 245th).
Like Gadsden, Immanuel Christian lost despite seeing results from several players. Noah Ayala led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ben Story was another key player, putting up 12 points.
Gadsden's loss dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Immanuel Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gadsden has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Immanuel Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Gadsden beat Immanuel Christian 83-75 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Does Gadsden have another victory up their sleeve, or will Immanuel Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
