Basketball Recap: Bella Fasolo Key Part of a Team Effort in Pirates Win

Pope County won the last time they faced Cobden and things went their way on Wednesday too. The Pope County Pirates enjoyed a cozy 53-36 win over the Cobden Appleknockers. The Pirates pushed the score to 45-25 by the end of the third, a deficit the Appleknockers cut but never quite recovered from.

Pope County got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Bella Fasolo out in front who posted 27 points. The dominant performance gave Fasolo a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Lawson Forthman, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards.

Pope County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cobden only pulled down six offensive boards.

When it comes to explaining why Cobden lost, don't look at Natalie Franklin. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds. That was a full 58.3% of Cobden's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Shawna Burgess, who earned nine points and five boards.

Pope County pushed their record up to 16-6 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.3 points per game. As for Cobden, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-14.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pope County won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Gallatin County at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Gallatin County will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Pope County surely won't give up without a fight. As for Cobden, they will take on Shawnee at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.