The Paulding Panthers suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Thursday. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 56-36 walloping at the hands of Ayersville. While losing is never fun, Paulding can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 346th, while Ayersville is ranked 67th).
Despite the loss, Paulding saw an underclassman step up: Kayleigh Dunham scored seven points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Ameah Carr, who scored six points.
Taylor Craft was her usual excellent self, dropping a triple-double on 13 points, 23 rebounds, and 13 blocks for Ayersville. Craft is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Kendra Waldron, who scored 15 points along with two steals.
Paulding now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Ayersville, the win for they keeps them at an undefeated 10-0.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Paulding will face off against Van Wert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Ayersville, they will head out on the road to take on Holgate at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing isn't great for Holgate: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Ayersville has snatched up six consecutive wins on the road.
