If the Arkansas City Bulldogs were riding high off their 59-26 takedown of the Winfield Vikings last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Arkansas City took a serious blow against Derby on Tuesday, falling 61-31. Arkansas City has not had much luck with Derby recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Arkansas City lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Saliyah Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Johnson scored a full 41.9% of Arkansas City's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Lakyn Hale, who scored six points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Derby to victory, but perhaps none more so than Carsen Carpenter, who scored 14 points along with nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Carpenter has scored all season. Destiny Smith was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Arkansas City's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Derby, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Arkansas City will be home for the holidays to greet Salina Central at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Kansas (Salina Central is ranked 152nd, while Arkansas City is ranked 139th). Derby will be home for the holidays to greet South at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. South is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
