The Tuscola Mountaineers suffered their biggest defeat since December 12, 2023 on Wednesday. They were the victim of a tough 62-36 loss at the hands of West Henderson. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Tuscola in their matchups with West Henderson: they've now lost four in a row.
Several Mountaineers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jed West, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds and three steals. West is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Peyton Ollis was another key contributor, scoring five points along with three steals.
West Henderson had a senior duo take command as Jackson Lyda scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and three steals and Grant Putnam dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Lyda hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Truitt Manuel, who scored seven points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Tuscola's defeat was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-13. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.5 points per game. As for West Henderson, the victory was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 13-5.
Tuscola will look to defend their home court on Friday against Franklin at 8:00 p.m. Franklin presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Tuscola in North Carolina (Franklin is ranked 202nd, while Tuscola is ranked 563rd). As for West Henderson, West Henderson and East Henderson will face off at 8:00 p.m. on January 26th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. East Henderson is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 63.4 points per game.
