The Leetonia Bears will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Mineral Ridge Rams at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing isn't great for Leetonia: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Mineral Ridge has snatched up nine consecutive wins on the road dating back to last season.
Last Thursday, Leetonia might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Heartland Christian an easy 36-12 win.
Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 54-49 to Springfield. Mineral Ridge has not had much luck with Springfield recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Ava Hulett put forth a good effort for the losing side as she scored 25 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. The matchup was her ninth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Sullivan Sandy, who scored six points along with four steals.
Leetonia's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Mineral Ridge, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-1.
Leetonia strolled past Mineral Ridge in their previous meeting back in December of 2016 by a score of 59-45. Does Leetonia have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mineral Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
