Basketball Recap: Blake Fortunato's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Deposit-Hancock over Walton

After flying high against Harpursville last Monday, Deposit-Hancock came back down to earth. Deposit-Hancock fell just short of the Walton Warriors by a score of 62-59 on Wednesday. The loss continues a trend for Deposit-Hancock in their matchups with Walton: they've now lost four in a row.

Deposit-Hancock's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Blake Fortunato, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 boards. The match was Fortunato's 11th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Micah Simmons, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Deposit-Hancock smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 16 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Deposit-Hancock's loss dropped their record down to 7-4. As for Walton, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-2.

Deposit-Hancock and Walton should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps New York Rankings. Deposit-Hancock will square off against Afton at 7:15 p.m. on Friday up 432 places (364 vs. 796). Deposit-Hancock is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 70 points per game this season. Similarly, Walton (ranked 346th) will meet Harpursville (ranked 716th) at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.