The Pittston Patriots lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on on Friday was a bit more commanding. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 50-27 walloping at the hands of Hazleton Area. While losing is never fun, Pittston can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 539th, while the Cougars are ranked 242nd).
Leading Hazleton Area to victory were Dylan Stish and Luke Gennaro. Stish scored 11 points, while Gennaro scored 13 points.
Pittston dropped their record down to 2-8 with that loss, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Hazleton Area, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season.
Pittston will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mountaineers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. As for Hazleton Area, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Tigers at 12:00 p.m. on January 27th. Tunkhannock is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
