Basketball Recap: Martins Ferry Comes Up Short

Martins Ferry was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They lost 71-46 to the Steubenville Big Red. While losing is never fun, the Purple Riders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 480th, while the Big Red are ranked 66th).

Steubenville found their leader in sophomore Santino Haney, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 16 points in addition to seven assists and four steals. Haney is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Davis, who went 5 for 11 on his way to 14 points and four steals.

Martins Ferry's loss dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Steubenville, the victory (which was their tenth in a row) raised their record to 10-1.

Martins Ferry will take on Garaway at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. As for Steubenville, they will be playing in front of their home fans against River at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday. Steubenville knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 contests -- so hopefully River likes a good challenge.