The Doane Stuart Thunder Chicken pushed their score all the way to 64 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Hawthorne Valley on the road by a decisive 78-64 margin. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Doane Stuart in their matchups with Hawthorne Valley: they've now lost eight in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Doane Stuart lost, one person who can't be blamed is Julius Brown. Despite the final result, he scored 39 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Brown has scored all season. James Calcagno was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hawthorne Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Oliver Towe, who scored 32 points. Towe continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Justin Gamiello, who scored 21 points.
Doane Stuart's loss dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Hawthorne Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Doane Stuart's road trip will continue as they head out to face Corinth at 6:00 p.m. on January 31st. As for Hawthorne Valley, they will face off against Berlin/New Lebanon at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Berlin/New Lebanon has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.