The Norton Bluejays waltzed into their game on Friday with four straight wins but they left with five. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Phillipsburg and snuck past 44-42. This was payback for Norton, who suffered a 55-51 loss the last time these two teams met.
Norton's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Eli Jones, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Jones is absolutely dominating the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Rylen Murray, who scored ten points.
Despite the loss, Phillipsburg had strong showings from Caden Seems, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Rhett Shelton, who scored 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rad Rodriguez, who scored five points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, Phillipsburg smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Norton only pulled down an offensive rebound.
Norton pushed their record up to 7-1 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Phillipsburg, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Norton will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Ellis at 7:00 p.m. on January 26th. Ellis will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Kansas Rankings (they are ranked 247th, while Norton is ranked 68th). Phillipsburg will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Hoisington at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd.
