The matchup between the Sparta Spartans and the La Crosse Central Riverhawks on Friday hardly resembled the 8-7 effort from their previous meeting. Sparta was outmatched by La Crosse Central on the road and fell 79-47. While losing is never fun, Sparta can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 354th, while La Crosse Central is ranked 171st).
Sparta's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of John Rice, who scored 13 points, and Gavin Rhead who scored 12 points along with five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Berendes, who scored three points.
Sparta are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-10. As for La Crosse Central, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Sparta will look to defend their home court on Monday against Tomah at 7:15 p.m. Tomah is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses. La Crosse Central won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Orono at 2:30 p.m. on January 20th. Orono has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 902 points over their last 12 games.
