If the East Juniata Tigers were feeling good off their 57-32 takedown of the Newport Buffaloes last Monday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. East Juniata was just a bucket shy of victory on Thursday and fell 42-41 to Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy. If East Juniata hoped to take revenge for the 43-36 defeat against they when the teams met, then they were left disappointed.
Despite the defeat, East Juniata had strong showings from Wrett Smith, who scored 17 points, and Clark Ritzman, who scored eight points along with seven assists and six rebounds. Ritzman has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Simon Svicky was another key contributor, scoring five points along with five steals.
East Juniata has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-13.
East Juniata will square off against Greenwood at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Greenwood will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak alive. Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy will take on Newport at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Newport has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since January 4.
