The Clinch Wildcats pushed their score all the way to 71 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 78-71 to Washburn. Clinch lost against Washburn in their previous head to head back in November, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 78-37 score last time.
Washburn found their leader in underclassman Matthew Harville, who went 10 for 17 from beyond the arc en route to 40 points and 0 assists. That makes it five consecutive games in which Harville has scored at least 25% of Washburn's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Billy Jo Wolfenbarger, who scored 13 points along with five steals.
Clinch bumped their record down to 0-2 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Washburn, their win ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Clinch will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on White Academy at 5:30 p.m. on January 12, 2024. As for Washburn, they will head out on the road to face off against Cherokee at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cherokee knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past four contests -- so hopefully Washburn likes a good challenge.
