The Alexander Spartans will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Paint Valley Bearcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Alexander unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak last Thursday. Their rough 67-47 defeat to Athens might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, Alexander can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 347th, while Athens is ranked 114th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kaylee Hudnall, who scored 13 points. The matchup was her fifth in a row with at least ten points. Lily Ryder was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Alexander struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Paint Valley's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their sixth straight loss. They had to suffer through a rough 72-30 loss at the hands of Lynchburg-Clay. Paint Valley has struggled against Lynchburg-Clay recently, as their match on Thursday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Alexander's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Paint Valley, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-9 record this season.
Alexander came up short against Paint Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, falling 42-36. Can Alexander avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
