The Oakes Tornadoes have been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell to Maple River 49-45. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Oakes came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 42nd in North Dakota, while Maple River is ranked 157th in Minnesota).
Several Tornadoes players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Lily Thorpe, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Kassidy Jackson, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Oakes' loss dropped their record down to 8-3. As for Maple River, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 17-9.
Oakes will head out on the road to challenge Sargent County at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Sargent County is on a four-game streak of home wins, Oakes a 13-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season)-- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. Maple River won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Bethlehem Academy at 7:15 p.m. on January 12th.
