After a string of four wins, the Blackford Bruins's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They fell just short of Mississinewa by a score of 53-50. The contest was a 27-27 toss-up at halftime, but Blackford was outscored by Mississinewa in the second.
Despite the loss, Blackford still got an impressive performance from Gage Baker, who scored 23 points along with two steals and two blocks. Baker continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Vince Oxley, who scored four points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Kobe Johnson was his usual excellent self, scoring ten points along with eight rebounds and three steals for Mississinewa. Another player making a difference was Jaxson Ott, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Blackford's loss was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 8-5. As for Mississinewa, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Blackford won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Winchester Community at 7:30 p.m. on January 13th. As for Mississinewa, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Wabash at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Indiana (Wabash is ranked 151st, while Mississinewa is ranked 143rd).
