The Sharpsville Blue Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Hickory Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sharpsville will be strutting in after a victory while Hickory will be coming in after a loss.
Sharpsville scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They breezed by Slippery Rock at home to the tune of 62-32. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Sharpsville has posted yet this season.
Sharpsville can attribute much of their success to Lily Palko, who scored 26 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Palko has scored all season. Brooklyn Ramsey was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Hickory was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 54-49 to Grove City. While losing is never fun, Hickory can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 466th, while Grove City is ranked 170th).
The victory makes it two in a row for Sharpsville and bumps their season record up to 6-7. As for Hickory, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-8 record this season.
Sharpsville was able to grind out a solid win over Hickory when the teams last played back in February of 2023, winning 45-33. Does Sharpsville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hickory turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.