Basketball Recap: Rank Disadvantage No Problem for Owen-Withee

Loyal typically has all the answers at home, but on Thursday Owen-Withee proved too difficult a challenge. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Loyal Greyhounds 54-52. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Blackhawks' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 257th, while the Greyhounds are ranked 57th).

Owen-Withee's win bumped their record up to 8-5. As for Loyal, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 11-1.

The future could be bright for both Owen-Withee and Loyal: their next opponents haven't had the best luck recently. Owen-Withee will try to hand Thorp their third-straight defeat when the two meet at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Similarly, Loyal will look to extend Greenwood's six-game losing streak when the meet at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday.