After both having extra time off, Springfield International and the Holyoke Purple Knights will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on February 13th. Hopefully Springfield International focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 42 two weeks ago.
After a string of three wins, Springfield International's good fortune finally ran out. They lost to Central at home by a decisive 59-41 margin. While losing is never fun, Springfield International can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while Central is ranked third).
Despite the defeat, Springfield International had strong showings from Zahara Kibodya-Wilson, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Alexa Davis, who scored 12 points along with four blocks and three steals. Another player making a difference was Giavanna Mars, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Holyoke's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Thursday after their fifth straight loss. They suffered a rough 50-24 loss at the hands of Central. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Holyoke has scored all season.
Springfield International's defeat dropped their record down to 8-5. As for Holyoke, their defeat was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-8.
Springfield International strolled past Holyoke in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 51-37. The rematch might be a little tougher for Springfield International since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
