Motley County and Whitharral squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Motley County had to settle for second. They took a blow against the Whitharral Panthers, falling 65-26. The Matadors were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Panthers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2020.
Motley County lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Bailea Lawrence, who posted nine points and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jada Richards, who put up seven points and eight rebounds.
Whitharral found their leader in sophomore Paige Smith, who dropped a double-double with 35 points and ten boards. That makes it 28 consecutive games in which Smith has scored at least a third of Whitharral's points. Another player making a difference was Madi Chavez, who went 5-for-12 on her way to 14 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds.
Motley County has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 14-20 record this season. Whitharral has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 24-7 record this season.
Motley County does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Whitharral, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 47-40 defeat against Texline on the 18th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
