Basketball Recap: Freeburg Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Robert Fritz and Matt Pluff

Freeburg was the 55-52 winner over Sparta when they last played one another back in January of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. The Freeburg Midgets fell to the Sparta Bulldogs 69-63. While losing is never fun, the Midgets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 401st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 176th).

Despite the loss, Freeburg had strong showings from Matt Pluff, who went 10 of 16 on his way to 23 points and seven rebounds, and Robert Fritz, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards. That's the most points Pluff has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jase Brentlinger, who posted nine points.

Sparta found their leader in sophomore Dariontez Monroe, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and ten boards. With that strong performance, Monroe is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Damian Lanton, who went 5 for 11 en route to 13 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals.

Freeburg has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season. Their recent woes sure aren't a result of their performance when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy: their three-point shooting accuracy was 0% in those games and 27% outside of them. As for Sparta, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 13-4.

Freeburg wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 48-37 defeat against Murphysboro on the 22nd. As for Sparta, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 63-57 loss against Marissa/Coulterville on the 22nd.