Hughes has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the New Richmond Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Hughes suffered their biggest defeat since December 15, 2023 on Tuesday. Their tough 70-50 defeat to Aiken might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, Hughes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 233rd, while Aiken is ranked 54th).
Despite their loss, Hughes saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jayvion Stanford, who scored eight points along with six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Elijah Engleman, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, New Richmond's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They were outmatched by Purcell Marian at home and fell 79-47.
Hughes' loss was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 7-7. As for New Richmond, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.
Hughes opened the new year with a less-than-successful 63-56 defeat to New Richmond. Can Hughes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
