Basketball Recap: Tolsia Takes a Loss

Tolsia lost against Dawson-Bryant back in January, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The match between the Tolsia Rebels and the Dawson-Bryant Hornets didn't end well, with the Tolsia Rebels falling 75-60. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Rebels came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 104th in West Virginia, while the Hornets are ranked 385th in Ohio).

Dakota Blackburn

Points (Career)

02/15/25 vs Dawson-Bryant	14
01/27/24 vs Hurley	12
01/26/24 vs Calvary Baptist Academy	12
02/14/25 @ Grace Christian	9
01/31/25 vs Tug Valley	9

When it comes to explaining why Tolsia lost, don't look at Dakota Blackburn. Despite the final result, he went 5-for-6 to rack up 14 points. Those 14 points gave Blackburn a new career-high. CJ Waller was another key player, putting up eight points and seven boards.

Even though they lost, Tolsia was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. This was only their 12th loss (out of 15 games) when they've passed the ball that well.

Tolsia has traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight contests, which has put a noticeable dent in their 3-16 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.6 points over those games. As for Dawson-Bryant, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-12.

Looking ahead, Tolsia will be playing at home against Belfry at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Dawson-Bryant, they will head out to challenge Ironton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ironton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.8 points per game this season.