The Memorial Chargers struggled with assists on Tuesday (the Sapulpa Chieftains had eight more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Memorial took a 51-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Sapulpa. While losing is never fun, Memorial can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oklahoma basketball rankings (they are ranked 258th, while Sapulpa is ranked 24th).
Memorial lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Asia Roper, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Roper has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mataya Hall, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Leading Sapulpa to victory were Riki Mcquarters and Tyla Heard. Mcquarters scored 19 points along with eight rebounds and seven steals, while Heard scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and five assists. Heard also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Taylor Bilby was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with two steals.
Memorial has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season. As for Sapulpa, they pushed their record up to 10-5 with that victory, which was their 14th straight at home.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Memorial will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Durant at 6:00 p.m. on January 12th. As for Sapulpa, they will face off against Edison at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
