The Neosho Wildcats's 19-8 record from last season is now well into the rear view mirror after another tough outing. Their rough 69-45 defeat to Poplar Bluff on Thursday might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, Neosho can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 314th, while Poplar Bluff is ranked 66th).
Neosho's loss came despite strong showings from Kaiden Asberry and Tyrone Harris. Asberry scored 15 points, while Harris scored 11 points. The game was Harris' fourth in a row with at least ten points.
Neosho bumped their record down to 4-7 with that loss, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Poplar Bluff, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 9-4.
Neosho won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Joplin at 3:30 p.m. on January 5th. Joplin is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak. Poplar Bluff will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Jackson at 7:30 p.m. on January 16th.