West Elk is 5-0 against the Lions since January of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The West Elk Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Bluestem Lions at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully West Elk focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Friday.
Last Friday, West Elk was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 58-53 to the Wildcats. West Elk has struggled against the Wildcats recently, as their matchup on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the loss, West Elk had strong showings from Maddex Moreno, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, and Uriah Tillapaugh, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Moreno is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 17 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Martin Shipley, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Bluestem pushed their score all the way to 63 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to Erie 68-63. Bluestem has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
West Elk's defeat dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Bluestem, they dropped their record down to 2-12 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road.
Everything came up roses for West Elk against the Lions in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 78-25 win. With West Elk ahead 47-13 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
