Hartsville was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They had to suffer through a 72-43 loss at the hands of the Lakewood Gators. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Gators this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 73-60 back in January.
Hartsville's loss came despite strong showings from EJ Smith and Casey Hawkins. Smith posted nine points and six boards, while Hawkins put up four points. Another player making a difference was Tristian Spann, who scored seven points.
Even though they lost, Hartsville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lakewood only pulled down seven offensive boards.
Lakewood got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Pop Cato out in front who went 6 of 9 on his way to 16 points and six steals. Thanks to that strong game, Cato now owns an excellent 45.4% shooting accuracy. The team also got some help courtesy of Cedric Cisse, who went 8 for 15 en route to 21 points.
Hartsville's defeat dropped their record down to 6-17. As for Lakewood, their victory bumped their record up to 14-11.
Hartsville and Lakewood could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps South Carolina Rankings. Hartsville (ranked 180th) will meet South Florence (ranked 50th) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Similarly, Lakewood will face off against Crestwood at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday down 64 places (79 vs. 15).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
