Even though the Southwestern Rebels have not done well against the South Ripley Raiders recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Southwestern narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past South Ripley 50-48. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Southwestern has posted yet this season.
Southwestern found their leader in underclassman Olivia Simpson, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten assists. Another player making a difference was Rorie Scroggins, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds.
Several Raiders players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Reese Obendorf, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds. Claire Samples was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Southwestern's win bumped their record up to 12-10. As for South Ripley, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-7.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Southwestern will take on Rising Sun at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Rising Sun and Southwestern are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads. As for South Ripley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Jac-Cen-Del at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Jac-Cen-Del knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past four matchups -- so hopefully South Ripley likes a good challenge.
