The Steelville Cardinals pushed their score all the way to 55 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They suffered a rough 76-55 defeat at the hands of Central. While losing is never fun, Steelville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 431st, while Central is ranked 38th).
Central got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jobe Bryant out in front who scored 31 points along with five rebounds. The match was Bryant's tenth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Zack Boyd, who scored 12 points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Steelville are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-5. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points per game. As for Central, the win (which was their eighth in a row) raised their record to 9-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Steelville will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Owensville at 5:30 p.m. on January 9th. Central won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Hillsboro at 6:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Hillsboro has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 334 points over their last five games.
