A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Fillmore Central Panthers challenge the Sandy Creek Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday... Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
If Fillmore Central beats Sandy Creek with 55 points on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Fillmore Central had just enough and edged Tri County out 55-53. The victory was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on three straight.
Fillmore Central relied on the efforts of Daniel Stoner, who posted 18 points along with six assists and five boards, and Joey Stoner, who went 6 for 11 en route to 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jarin Tweedy, who had seven points and 11 rebounds.
Fillmore Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sandy Creek, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 56-33 margin over Superior on Monday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 110th, while the Wildcats are ranked 261st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fillmore Central better keep an eye on Ethan Shaw. He was instrumental in Sandy Creek's win, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards. The dominant performance gave Shaw a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Christian Shaw, who went 5 of 6 on his way to 10 points and six boards.
Fillmore Central is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.1 points per game. As for Sandy Creek, they pushed their record up to 11-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fillmore Central has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 29.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Sandy Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Fillmore Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Sandy Creek when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 45-33. Will Fillmore Central repeat their success, or does Sandy Creek have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
