Preview: Sparta Spartans vs. La Crosse Central Riverhawks
Sparta is 0-10 against La Crosse Central since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Sparta Spartans will look to defend their home court against the La Crosse Central Riverhawks at 7:15 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Sparta pushed their score all the way to 56 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to Arcadia 61-56.
Despite their defeat, Sparta saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Elexa Jones, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and five assists, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Jones has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Evelyn Tripp, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
La Crosse Central won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Tuesday. They were beaten by DeForest 73-44. While losing is never fun, La Crosse Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 208th, while DeForest is ranked 70th).
Sparta bumped their record down to 5-12 with that defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for La Crosse Central, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.
Sparta ended up a good deal behind La Crosse Central in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, losing 57-41. Will Sparta have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
