The Milan Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their 12th straight defeat. They took a 50-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of Grundy County/Newtown-Harris. While losing is never fun, Milan can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 483rd, while the Panthers are ranked 145th).
Milan's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ahmet Niasse, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. Niasse hasn't dropped below 15 points for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Bennett, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Milan struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Grundy County/Newtown-Harris racked up 11 assists.
Grundy County/Newtown-Harris' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Corbin Axtell led the charge by scoring 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Axtell hasn't dropped below 15 points for 13 straight games. Another player making a difference was Tate McClaran, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Milan's loss was their sixth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-14. As for Grundy County/Newtown-Harris, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 14-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Milan won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on January 30th. As for Grundy County/Newtown-Harris, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against the at 6:30 p.m. on January 30th.
