Nelsonville-York has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Athens Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Thursday, Nelsonville-York came up short against Vinton County and fell 53-43.
Despite the loss, Nelsonville-York had strong showings from Alayna Okulich, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Airah Lavy, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks. Okulich hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. Madi Pidcock was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Athens' good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They took a 47-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of River Valley. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Athens came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 65th, while River Valley is ranked 208th).
Nelsonville-York has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-7 record this season. As for Athens, their loss dropped their record down to 11-4.
Nelsonville-York lost to Athens on the road by a decisive 56-37 margin in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Can Nelsonville-York avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
