After a string of four wins, the Pillager Huskies's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They took a 65-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of Staples-Motley. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Pillager of the 62-60 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in December of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Pillager lost, one person who can't be blamed is Christian Hooge. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 24 points and 18 rebounds. That was a full 44.4% of Pillager's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Gabe Parrish was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five rebounds.
Pillager's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-9. As for Staples-Motley, their win bumped their record up to 10-8.
Pillager won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against New York Mills at 7:30 p.m. on February 6th. Pillager is facing New York Mills at the right time seeing as New York Mills is stuck on a 17-game losing streak. As for Staples-Motley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Aitkin at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Aitkin is coming into the game with ten straight defeats on the road, meaning Staples-Motley will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.
