Marshall had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 8-12 to make it four. They took a 44-29 bruising from the Lufkin Panthers. While losing is never fun, the Mavericks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 681st, while the Panthers are ranked 228th).
As for Lufkin, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 17-8. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 56 points in those games.
Lufkin's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Akira Smallwood, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. Kayla Rodgers was another key player, putting up nine points and eight rebounds.
Marshall didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 66-33 defeat against Whitehouse on the 13th. As for Lufkin, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 46-9 win against Jacksonville on the 13th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps