The North Fork Miners's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They fell just short of Gunnison by a score of 37-35. North Fork was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Gunnison apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January.
Despite the loss, North Fork saw an underclassman step up: Alyssa Lovelace scored 14 points. Another player making a difference was Sidney Neff, who scored five points along with nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, North Fork smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gunnison only pulled down six offensive rebounds.
Gunnison's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sienna Gomez, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds. Gomez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kylee McDougal, who scored seven points along with five blocks and three steals.
North Fork's loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 4-10. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 29.4 points per game. As for Gunnison, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-8.
North Fork will take on Plateau Valley at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Plateau Valley's defense has only allowed 25.8 points per game this season, so North Fork's offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Gunnison, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Grand Valley at 12:30 p.m. on February 3rd. Grand Valley will roll in looking for their 15th straight victory, something Gunnison surely won't give up without a fight.
