Athens looked poised to end the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the Tri-Valley Conference after building a four-game win streak to start the final month.
But Saturday night's 60-49 loss to Meigs put a halt on the Bulldogs' rising momentum.
With three games left in the regular season and a first place spot in the TVC out of the picture, Athens will have to make each game count to ride into the playoffs with confidence.
The first step of that process is Tuesday when the Bulldogs (12-7, 8-3 TVC) hit the road to take on the Morgan Raiders (14-6) in a non-conference game.
Morgan will serve as Athens' toughest team left to play, as the remaining two opponents (Nelsonville-York and Marietta) both currently have identical 10-11 records.
The two sides have been on similar runs in their schedules. In the past eight games, the Raiders have won four games, while the Bulldogs have won five.
Despite winning five of its last six games, Athens only eclipsed 60 points twice in that stretch.
The Raiders feature a defense that has averaged 58 points allowed per game, so a resurgence in the offense will be key to the Bulldogs' chance of avoiding a losing streak.
In the loss to Meigs, Athens grabbed just 19 total rebounds, a big dip from the previous four games where it averaged 28 rebounds per game.
“We didn’t play very well in the first half," coach Mickey Cozart said. "We did not rebound the ball well. We didn't come in here with the right mental attitude and we weren't ready to start the game."
A win against Morgan means the Bulldogs will likely close out the season with a three-game win streak, while a loss will chip away at the confidence the team has put together in what has been a decent month of February.
