~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Paton-Churdan Rockets boys basketball team faced two tough opponents in back-to-back conference play last week.
The Rockets squared off against two Rolling Valley Conference opponents in the Coon Rapids-Bayard Crusaders Feb. 3 and the Exira-EHK Spartans Feb. 4. The Rockets fought hard in both games but fell 88-53 to the Crusaders and 71-45 to the Spartans.
Against the Crusaders, the Rockets were largely able to hang with the Crusaders in the first half as they went into halftime only down a few points. The teams traded outscoring each other as the Crusaders had a 27-9 first quarter, and the Rockets had a 22-13 second quarter. The second half was different, as the Crusaders outscored the Rockets in both the third and fourth quarters.
In their game against Exira-EHK, the Rockets also fought hard as the halftime score was again close after a solid second quarter. The Rockets only trailed 31-28 going into the second half but were largely outscored in the second half of the game.
The Rockets were supposed to face the Woodward Academy Knights then, but that game was canceled, and no makeup date will be set.
This season has been good for the Rockets as their six wins represent the most this squad has achieved since the 2017-18 season in which they won eight games.
The team has also seen the emergence of young players who will serve as the building blocks for this program in the years to come, and they are playing well at a crucial time in the season, as anything can happen in postseason basketball.
This week was expected to feature their last regular season game in a game against the Woodbine Tigers on Monday at 6 p.m.
With the conclusion of their regular season slate against the Woodbine Tigers, the Rockets already know who they will be facing in the first round of postseason play. They will take on the CAM Cougars which is an opponent they split games with this year. The Rockets won their first meeting 61-59 but lost their second meeting in a close one, 60-52.
In both games against CAM, the Rockets played extremely well with multiple players stepping up to the plate to try and get the job done. As the Rockets get set for their first round of the postseason they do have the added benefit of playing a team they are familiar with from the regular season and do have a win over them under their belt.
