Basketball Recap: Athens Falls Despite Big Games from James Jones and Sawyer Hill

Athens was the 66-28 winner over Edinburg when they last played one another back in December of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The Athens Warriors fell 58-50 to the Edinburg Wildcats on Saturday. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 379th, while the Wildcats are ranked 115th).

Despite the defeat, Athens had strong showings from Sawyer Hill, who went 6 of 12 en route to 19 points and three steals, and James Jones, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards. Hill is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Nathan Hesson, who posted three points.

Athens has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-4 record this season. As for Edinburg, their victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-2.

Athens didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 67-23 win against Havana on the 3rd. As for Edinburg, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 67-49 victory against Triopia/Meredosia-Chambersburg/Virginia on the 30th.