On Monday, West Branch came up short against Tussey Mountain and fell 34-27. West Branch has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
When it comes to explaining why West Branch lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jenna Mertz. Despite the final result, she scored six points along with seven steals and five rebounds. Those seven steals set a new season-high mark for her. Sarah Guglielmi was another key contributor, scoring four points along with four steals.
Leading Tussey Mountain to victory were Karah Husick and Cara Benton. Husick scored 14 points along with seven rebounds, while Benton scored ten points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Benton is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season.
West Branch's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Tussey Mountain, the win (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 6-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. West Branch will take on Juniata Valley at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Juniata Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. Tussey Mountain's road trip will continue as they head out to face Claysburg-Kimmel at 7:30 p.m. on December 21st. Claysburg-Kimmel will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 550th, while Tussey Mountain is ranked 227th).
