The Loomis Wolves's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They took a 46-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of Southern Valley. Loomis was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Southern Valley apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February.
Loomis' loss came despite strong showings from Cale Nelson and Tyson Essex. Nelson scored 14 points along with five rebounds, while Essex scored 16 points along with eight rebounds. That's the first time this season that Essex pulled down eight or more rebounds.
Southern Valley's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isaac Hamilton, who scored 17 points. The contest was Hamilton's third in a row with at least ten points. Kamden Bose was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Loomis' defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-5. As for Southern Valley, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 3-4 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Loomis will face off against Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Nebraska (Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] is ranked 139th, while Loomis is ranked 160th). As for Southern Valley, they will head out on the road to face off against Southwest at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Southwest focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Friday.
