The Hancock Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their sixth straight loss. They took a 98-84 bruising from Turkeyfoot Valley Area. Hancock has not had much luck with Turkeyfoot Valley Area recently, as the team's come up short the last eight times they've met.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jacob Anderson, who scored 18 points along with two blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Anderson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Demory, who scored nine points along with ten assists and seven rebounds.
Turkeyfoot Valley Area's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bryce Nicholson, who scored 30 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Nicholson is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Zack Ryan, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 assists.
Hancock's defeat was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-8. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.5 points per game. As for Turkeyfoot Valley Area, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hancock and Union will face off at 5:30 p.m. on January 16th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Union presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Hancock in their respective states (Union is ranked 98th in West Virginia, while Hancock is ranked 296th in Maryland). Turkeyfoot Valley Area won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Salisbury Elk Lick at 6:00 p.m. on January 12th.
