Basketball Recap: Athens Comes Up Short

Athens was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They came up short against the Carlinville Cavaliers, falling 68-43. The Warriors were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cavaliers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2019.

Sawyer Hill

Rebounds (Career)

02/01/25 @ Carlinville	8
01/07/25 vs Tri-City	7
01/04/25 @ Edinburg	6
12/23/24 vs Calvary	6
12/17/24 vs Lutheran	6

Despite the defeat, Athens saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Sawyer Hill went 5 of 7 to rack up 10 points along with eight boards and five assists. The dominant performance gave Hill a new career-high in rebounds. Cody Tobias was another key player, putting up nine points.

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

Carlinville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tate Duckels led the charge by going 7 for 8 on his way to 15 points in addition to seven assists and four steals. Duckels is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Dominic Alepra, who went 7 of 12 from beyond the arc en route to 25 points.

Athens' loss dropped their record down to 12-12. As for Carlinville, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-12.

Athens didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 51-22 defeat against Williamsville on the 4th. As for Carlinville, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 48-38 victory against Bunker Hill on the 3rd.