The Sparta Spartans pushed their score all the way to 56 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were dealt a 88-56 loss at the hands of Onalaska. While losing is never fun, Sparta can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 371st, while Onalaska is ranked 44th).
Sparta lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Gavin Rhead, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Kayden Kaat, who scored ten points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Sparta were working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. This was only their 12th loss (out of 16 games) when they've passed the ball that well.
Sparta has been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-15 record this season. As for Onalaska, they pushed their record up to 15-5 with that win, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Sparta will take on Luther at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Luther's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season. Onalaska will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Caledonia at 7:30 p.m. on February 10th.
