West Branch suffers third straight loss at home

By Team Reports Jan 23, 2024, 7:55pm

Recap: West Branch Warriors vs. Williamsburg Blue Pirates

The West Branch Warriors suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Monday. They were beaten by Williamsburg 56-28. While losing is never fun, West Branch can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 458th, while Williamsburg is ranked 108th).

Leading Williamsburg to victory were Ayla Hileman and Levada Gorsuch. Hileman scored 19 points along with eight rebounds, while Gorsuch dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Hileman has scored at least a third of Williamsburg's points. Leeanna Royer was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with four steals.

West Branch's defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 5-6. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 29.7 points per game. As for Williamsburg, the win (which was their 11th in a row) raised their record to 15-1.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. West Branch will stay at home for another game and welcome Juniata Valley at 6:30 p.m. on January 24th. Williamsburg will take on Southern Huntingdon County at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Southern Huntingdon County is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.