Basketball Recap: Paint Valley Comes Up Short

Paint Valley played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against the Zane Trace Pioneers, falling 68-44. While losing is never fun, the Bearcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 551st, while the Pioneers are ranked 178th).

Despite the loss, Paint Valley still got an impressive performance from Carson M Free, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 boards. M Free is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Braylon Robertson, who posted 11 points.

Even though they lost, Paint Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

Zane Trace's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Grady Stewart, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 22 points in addition to six boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Landen Jarrell, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten assists.

Paint Valley now has a losing record at 6-7. As for Zane Trace, they pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road.

Paint Valley didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 65-64 defeat against Westfall on the 25th. As for Zane Trace, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 56-49 victory against McClain on the 25th.