The Avella Eagles's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They had to suffer through a rough 77-43 loss at the hands of Geibel Catholic. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss Avella has suffered since December 12, 2023.
Avella's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sydney Strope, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds. That's the first time this season that Strope scored 15 or more points. Ava Frank was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Geibel Catholic found their leader in underclassman Emma Larkin, who shot 4-for-11 from deep and dropped a double-double on 51 points and 12 rebounds. That makes it 13 consecutive games in which Larkin has scored at least a third of Geibel Catholic's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Henderson, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds.
Avella has been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-11 record this season. As for Geibel Catholic, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-3.
Avella will head out on the road to challenge Monessen at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Geibel Catholic, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against Jefferson-Morgan at 7:00 p.m. Jefferson-Morgan is coming into the match on a six-game losing streak.
