This season hasn't been kind to the Hancock Panthers, who are still winless after their ninth match. They took a serious blow against Northern on Thursday, falling 59-26. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Hancock has suffered yet this season.
Alyssa Morris and Skylar Smith certainly did their best on Thursday to try and avoid the loss. Morris scored nine points along with four steals, while Smith scored nine points. That's the first time this season that Morris grabbed two or more steals.
Northern got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Lydia Nelson out in front who scored 24 points along with nine rebounds. That's the first time this season that Nelson pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Abby Nelson, who scored 18 points along with three steals.
Hancock dropped their record down to 0-9 with that defeat, which was their 11th straight on the road. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 19.6 points per game. As for Northern, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4.
Hancock will look to defend their home court on Monday against Berkeley Springs at 6:00 p.m. Berkeley Springs presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Hancock in their respective states (Berkeley Springs is ranked 97th in West Virginia, while Hancock is ranked 267th in Maryland). As for Northern, they will head out on the road to challenge Keyser at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
