Independent and Chaparral are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Independent Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Chaparral Roadrunners at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Independent is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Chaparral in Kansas (Independent is ranked 106th, while Chaparral is ranked 262nd).
Independent pushed their score all the way to 56 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Garden Plain by a score of 59-56. Independent has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Independent saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaylen Phillips-Grey, who scored 20 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Sir Ryan Dennis, who scored nine points along with six steals and five assists.
Meanwhile, Chaparral's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fourth straight defeat. The contest between them and Conway Springs wasn't particularly close, with Chaparral falling 51-33.
Independent's loss dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Chaparral, they dropped their record down to 3-14 with that defeat, which was their eighth straight on the road.
Independent beat Chaparral 62-51 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Chaparral's Jackson Swartz, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 18 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Independent to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
