The Wapakoneta Redskins suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Shawnee by a score of 47-45. While losing is never fun, Wapakoneta can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 347th, while Shawnee is ranked 130th).
Shawnee found their leader in underclassman Beckett Bertke, who scored 26 points along with seven rebounds. Bertke has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Alex Goldsberry was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Wapakoneta has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. As for Shawnee, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Wapakoneta won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Jackson Center at 4:00 p.m. on January 20th. As for Shawnee, they will head out on the road to square off against Lima Senior at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
