Basketball Recap: Carter Owens' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Austintown-Fitch over Washington

If Austintown-Fitch was feeling good fresh off their 60-40 takedown of Howland last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Austintown-Fitch Falcons came up short against the Washington Tigers on Tuesday, falling 83-63. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 267th, while the Tigers are ranked 36th).

Austintown-Fitch's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Carter Owens, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine boards. What's more, Owens also racked up four steals, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Marcel Finkley, who went 8 for 20 en route to 18 points and five rebounds.

Austintown-Fitch has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-11 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.6 points per game. As for Washington, they pushed their record up to 13-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road.

Austintown-Fitch will head out to face off against Boardman at 7:00 p.m. on February 11th. As for Washington, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Lake at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Washington knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 12 contests -- so hopefully Lake likes a good challenge.