The Webster County Highlanders put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They rang in the new year with a 62-50 win over Mercer Christian Academy. Given Webster County's advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 20th, while Mercer Christian Academy is ranked 98th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Raydan Triplett, who dropped a double-double on 31 points and ten rebounds. The contest was his sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Logan Leichliter, who scored eight points along with six assists and three steals.
Mercer Christian Academy's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chance Watkins, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of MJ Patton, who scored 17 points along with six assists and five rebounds.
Mercer Christian Academy struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Webster County's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Mercer Christian Academy, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-6.
Webster County will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against James Monroe at 8:00 p.m. on January 4th. Hopefully James Monroe focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up ten on Tuesday. As for Mercer Christian Academy, they will face off against Liberty at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday.
