The Tolsia Rebels will venture away from home to challenge the Belfry Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Tolsia knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully Belfry likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, Tolsia ended up a good deal behind Dawson-Bryant and lost 75-60. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Rebels came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 104th in West Virginia, while the Hornets are ranked 385th in Ohio).
Dakota Blackburn put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 5-for-6 on his way to 14 points. What's more, he also posted a 83% shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's achieved since back in January of 2024. CJ Waller was another key player, putting up eight points and seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Tolsia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Belfry was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They took a hard 69-51 fall against Pike County Central.
Tolsia will have to keep a close watch on Jaxon Estridge and Brody Little, a pair of players who had a big impact on Belfry's prior game. Estridge posted 14 points in addition to seven boards and four steals, while Little went 6-for-15 en route to 16 points. Another player making a difference was Carter Jude, who earned six points.
Tolsia has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 3-16 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.6 points over those games. As for Belfry, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-17.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tolsia has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Belfry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Tolsia might still be hurting after the 82-62 loss they got from Belfry when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can Tolsia avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
