The School of the Ozarks Patriots have been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were outmatched by Niangua at home and fell 68-41. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for School of the Ozarks in their matchups with Niangua: they've now lost four in a row.
Several Patriots players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Graham Wilhoit, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Caleb Widner, who scored nine points along with six steals.
Ethan Scheetz was his usual excellent self, scoring 29 points along with seven assists and three steals for Niangua. Scheetz hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Clayton Henderson, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
School of the Ozarks' defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-7. As for Niangua, the win was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. School of the Ozarks will take on Classical at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Classical is coming into the contest with six straight victories at home, meaning School of the Ozarks will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory. As for Niangua, they will head out on the road to take on Bakersfield at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
