Basketball Recap: Taylor Patrick's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Valley Forge over Cloverleaf

Valley Forge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their 24th straight loss dating back to last season. They came up short against the Cloverleaf Colts, falling 44-24. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 758th, while the Colts are ranked 219th).

Valley Forge's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taylor Patrick, who posted eight points.

Cloverleaf was led to victory by Evie Barth and Mackenzie Seiwerth. Barth went 5 for 12 on her way to 11 points in addition to six rebounds and five steals, while Seiwerth earned 11 points and five boards. Barth has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Jayce Kreider also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.

Valley Forge's loss dropped their record down to 0-15. As for Cloverleaf, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which lines up perfectly with their 12-4 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Valley Forge has already played their next contest (against Rocky River), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Cloverleaf won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Woodridge at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cloverleaf is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.