Basketball Recap: Independence Falls Despite Big Games from Christian Ratliff and Mason Ogburn

Independence was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 72-63 to the Potomac Falls Panthers. While losing is never fun, Independence can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 319th, while Potomac Falls is ranked 63rd).

Despite the defeat, Independence had strong showings from Mason Ogburn, who went 8 of 18 on his way to 20 points, and Christian Ratliff, who posted nine points. The dominant performance gave Ogburn a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Abhay Grewal, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds.

Leading Potomac Falls to victory were Josh Orbida and Troy Hooper. Orbida went 7 for 11 en route to 22 points, while Hooper dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 boards. Another player making a difference was Ej Herring, who earned eight points.

Independence's loss dropped their record down to 2-10. As for Potomac Falls, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-1.

Independence didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 62-47 defeat against Freedom on the 15th. As for Potomac Falls, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 75-73 loss against Riverside on the 16th.