Basketball Recap: Sparta Comes Up Short

Sparta lost against Benton back in February of 2015 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The Sparta Bulldogs took a blow against the Benton Rangers, falling 70-41. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 219th, while the Rangers are ranked 45th).

Despite the loss, Sparta had strong showings from Dariontez Monroe, who went 9 for 15 en route to 20 points, and DJ Hayes, who posted eight points and four steals. Hayes 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.

This is the second loss in a row for Sparta and nudges their season record down to 16-10. As for Benton, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 23-2.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Sparta will square off against Steeleville at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Sparta is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.6 points per game this season. As for Benton, they will face off against Nashville at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.