The Martinsville Artesians lost a heartbreaker to the Bloomington South Panthers when they met back in March of 2022, and they left with a heavy heart again on Saturday. Martinsville received a tough blow as they fell 74-56 to Bloomington South. While losing is never fun, Martinsville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 274th, while Bloomington South is ranked 119th).
Martinsville's loss came despite strong showings from Grady Gardner and Hunter Stroud. Gardner scored 20 points, while Stroud scored 16 points. That was a full 35.7% of Martinsville's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aj Reynolds, who scored nine points.
Martinsville's defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 3-11. As for Bloomington South, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 9-7.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Martinsville and Franklin Community will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Franklin Community knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matches -- so hopefully Martinsville likes a good challenge. As for Bloomington South, they will stay at home for another game and welcome Terre Haute South Vigo at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Terre Haute South Vigo is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.
