If Independence was riding high fresh off their 71-50 takedown of Rocky River last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Independence Patriots fell 56-44 to the Butler Bulldogs on Friday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Patriots came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 24th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 140th).
Despite the defeat, Independence saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Lusemo Macharia dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Dylan McFarland, who posted seven points.
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Even though they lost, Independence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive matches.
Butler's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Reece Starnes led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on nine points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Starnes a new career-high in rebounds. Terrance Badio was another key player, going 7 of 11 on his way to 15 points.
Independence's loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-3. As for Butler, their record is now 10-7.
Independence has already played their next contest (against Ambassador Christian School), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Butler wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 59-54 defeat against Corvian Community on the 18th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
