Bluestem is 0-5 against the Patriots since January of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Bluestem Lions will be playing at home against the West Elk Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Bluestem pushed their score all the way to 63 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 68-63 hit to the loss column at the hands of Erie. Bluestem has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, West Elk was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 58-53 to the Wildcats. West Elk has not had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
West Elk's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Maddex Moreno, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, and Uriah Tillapaugh who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Moreno has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Martin Shipley, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Bluestem's loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 2-12. As for West Elk, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-5.
Bluestem was dealt a bruising 78-25 loss at the hands of the Patriots in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. The game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Bluestem was down 47-13.
