The St. Paul Indians will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Cherryvale Chargers at 8:00 p.m. on January 18th. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
St. Paul suffered their biggest defeat since December 5, 2023 on Tuesday. They were dealt a 68-31 defeat at the hands of Iola. While losing is never fun, St. Paul can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 351st, while Iola is ranked 150th).
Meanwhile, Cherryvale's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They took a hard 52-38 fall against Marmaton Valley.
Despite their defeat, Cherryvale saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Landon Fox, who scored ten points along with two blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Fox hasn't dropped below two blocks for three straight games. Bricen Raida was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with 11 rebounds and three steals.
St. Paul's loss was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 0-11. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 28.0 points per game. As for Cherryvale, they have fallen quite a ways from their 14-7 record last season and are now at 1-8.
