Ritchie County and Tyler are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Ritchie County Rebels will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Tyler Knights at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Ritchie County unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell to Wirt County 47-42. Ritchie County found out winning isn't easy when your three-point shooting is a whole 33% worse than the opposition.
Despite the defeat, Ritchie County saw an underclassman step up: Isaac Hodges dropped a double-double on 26 points and 11 rebounds. Hodges scored a full 61.9% of Ritchie County's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Bodhi Utter was another key contributor, scoring three points along with five steals.
Meanwhile, Tyler's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 52-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wahama. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Tyler came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 98th, while Wahama is ranked 300th).
Ritchie County's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-1. As for Tyler, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Ritchie County beat Tyler 48-36 in their previous meeting back in February. Does Ritchie County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tyler turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
