On Tuesday, Hickory lost to Austintown-Fitch on the road by a decisive 66-51 margin. While losing is never fun, Hickory can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 222nd in Pennsylvania, while Austintown-Fitch is ranked 63rd in Ohio).
Austintown-Fitch's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Allen Hill jr, who scored 17 points. That's the first time this season that Hill jr scored 15 or more points. Carter Owens was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Hickory's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Austintown-Fitch, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-1.
Hickory will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Carlynton at 7:00 p.m. on December 29th. Austintown-Fitch will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Cathedral Prep at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
