The Nipmuc Regional Warriors pushed their score all the way to 57 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 66-57 to Bay Path RVT. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Nipmuc Regional came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while Bay Path RVT is ranked 248th).
When it comes to explaining why Nipmuc Regional lost, one person who can't be blamed is James McKinney. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 34 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points McKinney has scored all season. Jake Giardini was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
It was another big night for Peter Barbale, who scored 17 points for Bay Path RVT. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Smolski, who scored 11 points.
This is the second loss in a row for Nipmuc Regional and nudges their season record down to 10-5. As for Bay Path RVT, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-9 record this season.
Nipmuc Regional will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Sutton at 4:30 p.m. Nipmuc Regional is facing Sutton at the right time seeing as Sutton is stuck on a five-game losing streak. Bay Path RVT does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
