Basketball Recap: Van-Far Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Gaven Gaston and Pacey Reading

Van-Far fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Clopton on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 63-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Clopton Hawks. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Hawks this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 57-49 two weeks ago.

Pacey Reading

Points

02/14/25 @ Clopton	18
02/11/25 vs Wellsville-Middletown	30
02/07/25 @ Mark Twain	19
02/04/25 vs Montgomery County	16

Van-Far's loss came despite strong showings from Pacey Reading and Gaven Gaston. Reading dropped a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, while Gaston went 7-for-14 on his way to 14 points and three steals. Reading's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Bryce Reading was another key player, putting up six points.

Even though they lost, Van-Far smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Van-Far's loss dropped their record down to 16-9. As for Clopton, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 15 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Van-Far will take on Wright City at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Van-Far is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.1 points per game this season. As for Clopton, they will square off against Bowling Green at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Clopton's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.