The Fairbanks Panthers lost against the West Liberty-Salem Tigers back in December of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. Fairbanks fell just short of West Liberty-Salem by a score of 34-32. While losing is never fun, Fairbanks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 537th, while West Liberty-Salem is ranked 132nd).
Despite the defeat, Fairbanks saw an underclassman step up: Claire Meihls scored ten points along with two steals. Hannah Boehm was another key contributor, scoring four points along with two steals.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead West Liberty-Salem to victory, but perhaps none more so than Bailey Poppe, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Lilly Weaver, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Fairbanks has not been sharp recently, as they've lost ten of their last 13 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season. As for West Liberty-Salem, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-2.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Fairbanks will take on Northeastern at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. As for West Liberty-Salem, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Miami East at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Miami East will be coming into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
