North Clay/Clay City falls despite strong effort from Miah Ballard

By Team Reports Jan 17, 2024, 5:40am

Recap: North Clay/Clay City vs. Farina South Central Cougars

North Clay/Clay City's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their fourth straight loss. They lost to Farina South Central on the road by a decisive 61-47 margin. The result was an unpleasant reminder to North Clay/Clay City of the 63-54 loss they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture back in November of 2023.

Despite the loss, North Clay/Clay City still got an impressive performance from Miah Ballard, who scored 24 points along with three steals. Ballard hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis VanDyke, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and five assists.

North Clay/Clay City has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season. As for Farina South Central, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. North Clay/Clay City won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg at 7:30 p.m. on January 16th. The timing is sure in Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while North Clay/Clay City has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road. As for Farina South Central, they will take on St. Anthony at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. St. Anthony presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Farina South Central in Illinois (St. Anthony is ranked 117th, while Farina South Central is ranked 425th).