The Leetonia Bears's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their sixth straight loss. They fell to East Palestine 59-54. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Leetonia in their matchups with East Palestine: they've now lost four in a row.
Several Bears players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Carson Brock, who scored 21 points along with five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashbee Merritt, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two steals.
East Palestine's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Owen Jurjavicic, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. Another player making a difference was Drew Bycroft, who scored nine points along with two steals and two blocks.
Leetonia's loss was their 21st straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 3-15. As for East Palestine, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-8.
Leetonia will be playing at home against David Anderson at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. David Anderson presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Leetonia in Ohio (David Anderson is ranked 299th, while Leetonia is ranked 832nd). As for East Palestine, they will head out on the road to square off against Southern at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Southern has now lost 15 straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 1.
