The Mifflin Punchers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fourth straight loss. They took a 54-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lancaster. While losing is never fun, Mifflin can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 517th, while Lancaster is ranked 159th).
When it comes to explaining why Mifflin lost, one person who can't be blamed is Tariq Johnson. Despite the final result, he scored 18 points along with five rebounds. Johnson scored a full 37.5% of Mifflin's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. John Glover was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Even though they lost, Mifflin were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Mifflin has fallen quite a ways from their 16-7 record last season and are now at 1-5. As for Lancaster, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Mifflin will be home for the holidays to greet Beechcroft at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Beechcroft knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matches -- so hopefully Mifflin likes a good challenge. Lancaster will be home for the holidays to greet Bishop Watterson at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
