On Thursday, Barry Western suffered a tough 72-52 defeat at the hands of the Tigers. While losing is never fun, Barry Western can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 651st, while the Tigers are ranked 310th).
When it comes to explaining why Barry Western lost, one person who can't be blamed is Mason Smith. Despite the final result, he scored 22 points. That was a full 42.3% of Barry Western's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Casen Tobias was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Barry Western's defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 5-19. As for Beardstown, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Barry Western will square off against the Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Brown County has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Beardstown, they will head out on the road to square off against the Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
