It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Palisades can now relate to. They lost 54-34 to the Independence Patriots on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Pumas can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 143rd in North Carolina, while the Patriots are ranked 30th in North Carolina).
Palisades' defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aurek Fenn, who posted seven points. Another player making a difference was Matthew Dillard, who earned seven points.
Even though they lost, Palisades smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive matches.
Lusemo Macharia was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 14 points and 15 boards for Independence. Macharia has been hot, having also posted three or more blocks the last eight times he's played. Jaxson Neely was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
Palisades' loss dropped their record down to 13-13. As for Independence, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 22-5.
Palisades does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Independence, they will host Mooresville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mooresville is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 71 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
