Merrol Hyde Magnet is 0-3 against Liberty Creek since November of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Merrol Hyde Magnet Hawks will head out on the road to take on the Liberty Creek Wolves at 7:30 p.m. Merrol Hyde Magnet is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 79-50, which was the final score in Merrol Hyde Magnet's tilt against Jo Byrns on Tuesday. Merrol Hyde Magnet has struggled against Jo Byrns recently, as their match on Tuesday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Harrison Gill, who scored seven points along with two steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Jaxon Wayland was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Merrol Hyde Magnet used a slightly different lineup for their bout with Jo Byrns. Three players got more time on the court than they're used to: Bennett Altepeter (31), Raul Couret (12), and Christopher Adams (12). The trio had averaged 15.72, 6.38, and 5.46 minutes respectively before Tuesday's contest. Altepeter made the most of the opportunity, scoring 11 points. A few more games like that and he might be seeing even more time going forward.
Meanwhile, Liberty Creek came up short against Trousdale County on Monday and fell 42-34. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Liberty Creek came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 138th, while Trousdale County is ranked 330th).
Merrol Hyde Magnet's defeat dropped their record down to 6-15. As for Liberty Creek, their loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 17-8.
Merrol Hyde Magnet suffered a grim 59-38 defeat to Liberty Creek when the teams last played back in November of 2023. Can Merrol Hyde Magnet avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
