The Mingo Central Miners's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a serious blow against North Marion, falling 83-48. Mingo Central found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post 21 fewer assists than your opponent.
Mingo Central's loss came despite strong showings from Addie Smith and Gianna Akers. Smith scored 18 points along with six rebounds and four steals, while Akers almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds. That was a full 37.5% of Mingo Central's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Bailey, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
North Marion was led to victory by Brooklynn Jackson and Emma Freels. Jackson scored 23 points along with five assists, while Freels dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 assists. Another player making a difference was Meya Kotsko, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Mingo Central has not been sharp recently as the team's lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-7 record this season. As for North Marion, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.
Mingo Central won't have much time to rest: their next game is against the Spartans on February 3rd. North Marion will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on February 3rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in West Virginia (Logan is ranked 45th, while the Huskies are ranked 25th).
