After a string of three wins, the Pope County Pirates's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 49-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of Meridian. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Pope County has scored all season.
Pope County lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Lil Ibata, who scored 14 points along with three steals. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for her. Shelby Hogg was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Pope County's loss dropped their record down to 17-2. As for Meridian, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Pope County won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Cobden at 6:00 p.m. on January 10th. Cobden is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak. As for Meridian, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Joppa-Maple Grove at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Joppa-Maple Grove comes in still looking for their first win of the season.