Basketball Recap: Jefferson West Falls Despite Big Games from Emmie Dean and Brynlee Koontz

It was a proper cat-fight when Jefferson West faced off against Royal Valley on Tuesday. The Tigers might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 40-35 to the Panthers, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 40-35 on Monday.

Jefferson West's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Brynlee Koontz, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 13 boards, and Emmie Dean, who posted seven points along with six steals and five rebounds. That was a full 34.3% of the Tigers' points, marking the fourth time in a row Koontz has scored more than a third of the team's points. Liz Deeter also deserves some recognition as she posted her first assist of the season.

This is the second loss in a row for Jefferson West and nudges their season record down to 3-2. As for Royal Valley, the win got them back to even at 3-3.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Jefferson West will take on rival Nemaha Central at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Royal Valley is set to square off against their familiar foe Sabetha at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.