The Austintown-Fitch Falcons lost against the Harding Raiders back in February of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Austintown-Fitch received a tough blow as they fell 65-51 to Harding. Austintown-Fitch has struggled against Harding recently, as their contest on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Austintown-Fitch had strong showings from Allen Hill jr, who scored 18 points along with three steals, and Deshawn Vaughn, who scored 14 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hill jr has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Owens, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Harding got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tyler Smith out in front who scored 17 points along with four steals. It was the first time this season that Smith scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Chaz Coleman, who scored ten points along with six assists and five rebounds.
Austintown-Fitch has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-8 record this season. As for Harding, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.
Austintown-Fitch won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Smithville at 7:00 p.m. on February 10th. Hopefully Austintown-Fitch focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 on Friday. As for Harding, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against McKinley at 6:45 p.m. on February 10th. Harding and McKinley are at an even 3-3 over their past six head-to-heads.
