After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Gainesville, the Patriot Pioneers were happy to have found some success on Wednesday. They managed a 59-54 win over Osbourn. The score was all tied up 33-33 at the break, but Patriot was the better team in the second half.
Ella Negron continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 31 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Patriot's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cheyenne Sweeney, who scored nine points.
Despite the loss, Osbourn saw an underclassman step up: Irieanna Smoot scored 26 points along with five rebounds and two steals. That was a full 48.1% of Osbourn's points, marking the 13th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Angel Boateng was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Patriot's win bumped their record up to 6-10. As for Osbourn, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Patriot will take on Freedom at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Osbourn, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against Gainesville at 6:00 p.m. Gainesville presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Osbourn in Virginia (Gainesville is ranked 13th, while Osbourn is ranked 289th).
