Bland County Bears (Rocky Gap, VA) backers were in high spirits Monday as they witnessed their basketball squad thwart the visiting Auburn Eagles (Riner, VA), 62-48 in a league bout.

With the win, Bland County upgrades its record to 8-9 on the season. The Bears host Giles (Pearisburg, VA) to clash with the Spartans in a Mountain Empire bout on Tuesday, January 30. The Spartans go into the bout with a record of 4-10. Giles lost 54-37 in their recent non-league bout against Narrows (Narrows, VA)

Next up, the Eagles clash with the Galax Maroon Tide (Galax, VA) in a Mountain Empire bout, on Wednesday, January 31. Auburn will attempt to upgrade on its 7-9 season record. The Maroon Tide go into the bout with a 10-6 record after their 66-61 league loss to Fort Chiswell (Max Meadows, VA).