After flying high against the Miami Eagles on Thursday, the Heartland Mustangs came back down to earth. Heartland fell 76-68 to Lutheran on Friday. Despite running the score up even higher than they did on Thursday (66), Heartland still had to take the loss.
When it comes to explaining why Heartland lost, one person who can't be blamed is Diego Martinez. Despite the final result, he scored 24 points along with nine assists and eight rebounds. Those 24 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Brent Ratliff, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds.
Heartland has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-4 record this season. As for Lutheran, their victory bumped their record up to 1-0.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Heartland will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Clinton Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on January 8, 2024. Lutheran will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Maranatha Christian Academy at 8:00 p.m. on January 11, 2024.
