Houlka suffers 23rd straight loss on the road

By Team Reports Jan 31, 2024, 9:59pm

Recap: Houlka Wildcats vs. West Union Eagles

This season hasn't been kind to the Houlka Wildcats, who are still winless after their 19th match. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 56-33 walloping at the hands of West Union on Friday. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Houlka in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now lost five in a row.

When it comes to explaining why Houlka lost, one person who can't be blamed is Olivia Halford. Despite the final result, she scored 19 points along with five rebounds and five blocks. It was the first time this season that Halford posted two or more blocks. Another player making a difference was Molly Earnest, who scored six points along with two steals.

Houlka's defeat was their 23rd straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-19. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 24.0 points per game. As for West Union, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 15-8.

Houlka will be playing at home against the Trojans at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully Bruce focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 17 last Thursday. As for West Union, they will head out on the road to face off against the Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Vardaman will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Mississippi Rankings (they are ranked 255th, while the Eagles are ranked 96th).