The Pine River-Backus Tigers were the 52-46 winner over the Park Rapids Panthers when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. Pine River-Backus was outmatched by Park Rapids on the road and fell 84-41. While losing is never fun, Pine River-Backus can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 342nd, while Park Rapids is ranked 169th).
Ryan Carroll was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds for Park Rapids. Carroll set a new season high mark in assists with six. Another player making a difference was Noah Larson, who scored 21 points.
Pine River-Backus has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season. As for Park Rapids, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-4.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Pine River-Backus and Laporte will face off at 7:15 p.m. on January 4, 2024 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece. Park Rapids will finish 2023 at home by hosting Warren-Alvarado-Oslo at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 253 points over their last four matches.
