The Aitkin Gobblers on the road again on Thursday and play against the Park Rapids Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on January 25th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Aitkin suffered their biggest defeat since November 30, 2023 on Thursday. They were dealt a 83-55 loss at the hands of Moose Lake/Willow River. While losing is never fun, Aitkin can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 368th, while Moose Lake/Willow River is ranked 81st).
Meanwhile, Park Rapids came tearing into Friday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Staples-Motley by a score of 76-64.
Park Rapids' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Noah Larson, who scored 25 points. Larson is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Morris, who scored 17 points along with six steals.
Aitkin dropped their record down to 3-11 with that defeat, which was their tenth straight on the road. As for Park Rapids, their win bumped their record up to 10-4.
Aitkin was able to grind out a solid victory over Park Rapids when the teams last played back in February of 2023, winning 64-51. The rematch might be a little tougher for Aitkin since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
