While the Minneola Wildcats couldn't quite beat the Hodgeman County Longhorns on Friday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 35-point defeat they were dealt last Tuesday. Minneola fell just short of Hodgeman County by a score of 56-53. Minneola has struggled against Hodgeman County recently, as their game on Friday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Minneola's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Eli Lang, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Lang has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Levi Lang, who scored 19 points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Minneola were working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Owen Reece was his usual excellent self, scoring 25 points along with six rebounds for Hodgeman County. That makes it 12 consecutive games in which Reece has scored at least a third of Hodgeman County's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hazen Rydquist, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Minneola has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-8 record this season. As for Hodgeman County, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.
Minneola won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Kiowa County on January 27th. The timing is sure in Kiowa County's favor as the team sits on four straight wins at home while Minneola has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road. As for Hodgeman County, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Bucklin at 1:30 p.m. on January 27th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Kansas (Bucklin is ranked 141st, while Hodgeman County is ranked 125th).
