This season hasn't been kind to the Jim Thorpe Olympians, who are still winless after their ninth matchup. They took a serious blow against Panther Valley on Saturday, falling 70-38. While losing is never fun, Jim Thorpe can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 579th, while Panther Valley is ranked 207th).
Panther Valley was led to victory by Maddison Maynard and Morgan Orsulak. Maynard dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds, while Orsulak dropped a double-double on 23 points and 18 rebounds. Orsulak continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kaidence Krapf, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Jim Thorpe bumped their record down to 0-9 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 21.2 points per game. As for Panther Valley, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-4.
Jim Thorpe will head out on the road to take on Lehighton at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Panther Valley, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Pine Grove at 7:00 p.m. Pine Grove is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
