Basketball Recap: Athens Comes Up Short

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Athens can now relate to. They were dealt a 59-29 defeat at the hands of the Southern Lehigh Spartans on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Wildcats have suffered since January 13th.

James Friend

Blocked Shots

02/20/26 vs Southern Lehigh	3
02/14/26 vs Towanda	4
02/12/26 @ Northeast Bradford	7
02/10/26 @ Mount Carmel	3
02/09/26 vs Wyalusing Valley	3
+ 30 more games

Defeat or not, Athens got some senior leadership from James Friend and Eli Hobday. Friend posted eight points along with eight boards and three blocks, while Hobday earned eight points. Friend is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in each of the last 35 games he's played dating back to last season.

Athens has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 15-10 record this season. As for Southern Lehigh, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.

Athens does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Southern Lehigh, they will head out on the road to challenge Pottsville at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Spartans' defense better be ready for this one: the Crimson Tide have averaged an impressive 57.4 points per game this season.