Basketball Recap: Belmont Takes a Loss

Belmont was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were outmatched by the Tri-County North Panthers and fell 55-20. The Bison were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 36-14.

MaraMarie Rucker

Blocked Shots

01/25/25 @ Tri-County North	3
01/23/25 @ Ponitz Career Tech	1
01/16/25 vs Stivers School for the Arts	1

Despite the defeat, Belmont saw an underclassman step up: sophomore MaraMarie Rucker posted eight points in addition to eight rebounds and three blocks. Those three blocks set a new season-high mark for Rucker.

Even though they lost, Belmont smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.2 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 10.5.

Bella Cherry was her usual excellent self, going 10 of 15 on her way to 22 points along with seven boards and five assists for Tri-County North. Cherry's afternoon made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Lola Grieshop was another key player, putting up six points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals.

Belmont's loss dropped their record down to 2-17. As for Tri-County North, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season.

Belmont will square off against Meadowdale at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Tri-County North, they will head out on the road to face off against Twin Valley South at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday.