The Newport Buffaloes's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their eighth straight loss. They suffered a tough 57-32 loss at the hands of East Juniata. Newport has struggled against East Juniata recently, as their game on Monday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Several Buffaloes players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Landon Zaring, who scored five points along with eight rebounds. Zaring hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Tyler Gardner, who scored 11 points.
Even though they lost, Newport smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Juniata only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
East Juniata was led to victory by Clark Ritzman and Wrett Smith. Ritzman scored 14 points along with five assists and five rebounds, while Smith scored 21 points. Ritzman has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Jaiden May was another key contributor, scoring three points along with five assists.
Newport has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost 13 of their last 14 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-16 record this season. As for East Juniata, their win bumped their record up to 6-11.
Newport will head out on the road to face off against Line Mountain at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Line Mountain is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games. As for East Juniata, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy at 7:30 p.m. Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
