The Smethport Hubbers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They took a serious blow against Otto-Eldred, falling 64-37. Smethport lost against Otto-Eldred in their previous head to head back in December of 2023, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 41-37 score last time.
Despite the defeat, Smethport saw an underclassman step up: Payton Neff scored 15 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Jaidyn Goodman, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Smethport smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. This was only their 11th loss (out of 14 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Otto-Eldred's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kate Rhinehart, who scored 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Addie Bell, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Smethport has not been sharp recently as the team has lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-16 record this season. As for Otto-Eldred, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season.
Smethport didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 42-33 loss vs. Oswayo Valley on the 8th. Otto-Eldred will be playing in front of their home fans against Coudersport at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Coudersport will roll in looking for their ninth straight victory, something Otto-Eldred surely won't give up without a fight.
