The Van-Far Indians's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their 12th straight loss. They were dealt a 74-39 loss at the hands of Clopton. While losing is never fun, Van-Far can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 402nd, while the Hawks are ranked 72nd).
Van-Far's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Elliott Utterback, who scored 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Zumwalt, who scored four points along with two steals.
Van-Far struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They are winless (0-4) when they can't control their own glass like that.
Clopton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Charleigh Spoonster led the charge by scoring 19 points along with five assists and two steals. Spoonster has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Skylar Parker, who scored seven points along with six assists and six steals.
Van-Far's defeat was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-13. As for Clopton, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 12-4.
Van-Far won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Owls at 5:30 p.m. on January 24th. As for Clopton, they will head out on the road to challenge the Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
