After a string of four wins, the Lampeter-Strasburg Pioneers's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They fell just short of Donegal by a score of 63-61. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Lampeter-Strasburg came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 182nd, while Donegal is ranked 396th).
When it comes to explaining why Lampeter-Strasburg lost, one person who can't be blamed is Chase Smucker. Despite the final result, he scored 28 points along with six rebounds. Smucker hasn't dropped below 15 points for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Yasin Abdi, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Lampeter-Strasburg struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Lampeter-Strasburg's loss dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Donegal, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lampeter-Strasburg will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Lancaster Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Lancaster Catholic will be looking to keep their three-game home win streak alive. As for Donegal, they will head out on the road to take on Octorara Area at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Octorara Area knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matches -- so hopefully Donegal likes a good challenge.
