Basketball Recap: Hardee Comes Up Short

After flying high against Frostproof last Tuesday, Hardee came back down to earth. The Hardee Wildcats took a 48-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Northeast Vikings on Friday. The Wildcats were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Vikings earlier this season, when they won 53-28.

When it comes to explaining why Hardee lost, don't look at Tylia Graham. Despite the final result, she posted 17 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. Graham has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Danaelle Pierre was another key player, putting up six points and 12 boards.

Even though they lost, Hardee smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.

Northeast found their leader in sophomore Jy'Aira Washington, who went 9 for 19 en route to 25 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Shiloh Baker, who put up three points and five rebounds.

Hardee's record is now 9-8. As for Northeast, their win bumped their record up to 10-13.

Both are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Hardee has already played their next game (against Liberty), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Northeast has also has no score uploaded for their next match, this one against Osceola.