Basketball Recap: Springfield Falls Despite Big Games from Kali O'rourke and Nickaiya Martin

Springfield was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 53-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Albany Hornets. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Hornets this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 51-24 back in January.

Nickaiya Martin

Steals

01/15/25 vs Riverside Academy	9
02/04/25 @ Holden	6
12/19/24 vs Covington	6
12/03/24 @ Varnado	6
11/25/24 vs Holden	6
+ 22 more games

Springfield's loss came despite strong showings from Nickaiya Martin and Kali O'Rourke. Martin dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds, while O'Rourke went 7-for-14 to rack up 16 points and six boards. Martin also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Springfield is 14-6 when she posts at least three steals, but 3-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Raylan Smith, who posted two points.

Even though they lost, Springfield 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 nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Springfield's loss dropped their record down to 17-12. As for Albany, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-11 record this season.

Springfield does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Albany, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 61-58 win against Pine on the 15th.