Basketball Recap: Anaja Lucear's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Mary Persons over Jasper County

Mary Persons was the 74-16 winner over Jasper County when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. The Mary Persons Bulldogs fell just short of the Jasper County Hurricanes by a score of 49-46 on Friday. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Hurricanes 8-3 in the first quarter.

Mary Persons' loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Anaja Lucear, who posted nine points and eight steals. That's the most steals Lucear has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Jonleah Johnson, who put up 12 points and five steals.

Even though they lost, Mary Persons smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Mary Persons' defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Jasper County, their win ended an eight-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-4.

Mary Persons will take on Whitewater in a holiday battle at at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mary Persons is facing Whitewater at the right time seeing as Whitewater is stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Jasper County, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 51-35 victory against Jackson on the 14th.