The Doddridge County Bulldogs entered their tilt with the Ritchie County Rebels with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. Doddridge County came out on top against Ritchie County by a score of 47-39 on Friday. This was payback for Doddridge County, who suffered a 42-40 loss the last time these two teams met.
Doddridge County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Brandon Hileman out in front who scored 15 points along with three steals. Hileman hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Jerod Trent, who scored seven points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Despite the defeat, Ritchie County saw an underclassman step up: Isaac Hodges dropped a double-double on 14 points and 20 rebounds. Hodges is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Bodhi Utter, who scored seven points along with two steals.
Doddridge County's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. As for Ritchie County, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-9.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Doddridge County won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Clay County at 7:30 p.m. on January 27th. Clay County is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for Ritchie County, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Wahama at 7:30 p.m. Wahama will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps West Virginia Rankings (they are ranked 333rd, while Ritchie County is ranked 89th).
