Basketball Recap: Isaac Hodges' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Ritchie County over Belpre

Ritchie County suffered their closest loss since January 5, 2024 on Saturday. They fell just short of the Belpre Golden Eagles by a score of 56-53. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Rebels came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 52nd in West Virginia, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 542nd in Ohio).

Several Rebels players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Isaac Hodges, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. The contest was Hodges' 21st in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Seth Cronin, who went 7 for 16 en route to 18 points and five boards.

Ritchie County's defeat dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Belpre, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-7.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ritchie County will face off against Parkersburg Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Belpre, they will take on Warren at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.