If the Loretto Mustangs were feeling good off their 72-26 takedown of the Mt. Pleasant Tigers last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Loretto fell to Richland 45-41. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Loretto came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while Richland is ranked 78th).
Despite the defeat, Loretto had strong showings from Ally Weathers, who scored 12 points, and Sophia Weathers, who scored 12 points. Weathers continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Leading Richland to victory were Bailey Blair and Shelby Higgins. Blair scored 16 points along with eight rebounds, while Higgins scored 16 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Higgins has scored at least a third of Richland's points. Another player making a difference was Ac Hewitt, who scored five points.
Loretto's defeat dropped their record down to 21-3. As for Richland, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season.
Loretto does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Richland, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 57-16 win vs. Hampshire on the 9th.
