Basketball Recap: Sparta Takes a Loss

Sparta suffered their biggest defeat since December 11, 2024 on Thursday. They were beaten by the Carlyle Indians/Lady Indians 77-27. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Indians/Lady Indians recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.

Sparta lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Maddie Schulein, who posted 11 points. Ruthie Pillers was another key player, putting up six points and six boards.

Even though they lost, Sparta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Carlyle's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sophia Hoffmann led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 14 assists. The dominant performance gave Hoffmann a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Raelyn Harris, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds.

Sparta's loss dropped their record down to 7-13. As for Carlyle, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-5.

Coincidentally, both will both be playing Red Bud the next time they take the court. Carlyle will host Red Bud at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, while Sparta will host them at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.