Basketball Recap: Hannibal Takes a Loss

If Hannibal was feeling good fresh off their 58-33 takedown of Bowling Green last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Pirates took a 55-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Moberly Spartans on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 312th, while the Spartans are ranked 44th).

Moberly's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Amar'E Hawkins led the charge by shooting 55% from the field to rack up 14 points and five steals. Those five steals gave Hawkins a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Land, who posted ten points.

Hannibal's defeat dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Moberly, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 6-1.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Hannibal will head out to challenge Mexico at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Moberly, they will venture away from home to square off against Marshall at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. The Spartans' defense better be ready for this one: the Owls have averaged an impressive 58.7 points per game this season.