Basketball Recap: Andrew Tetrault's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Estero over Palmetto Ridge

Estero lost against Palmetto Ridge back in January of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Estero Wildcats fell 86-73 to the Palmetto Ridge Bears. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Tuesday (69), the Wildcats still had to take the loss.

Estero's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Andrew Tetrault, who posted 24 points. Those 24 points gave Tetrault a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Lasalle, who had 17 points.

Palmetto Ridge's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Juju Castillo, who went 9 of 17 on his way to 27 points along with five assists and five steals. Castillo is becoming a predictor of Palmetto Ridge's success: when he posts at least five steals the team is 9-2 (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Jeriah Muldrow was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 22 points and nine boards.

Estero's loss dropped their record down to 7-10. As for Palmetto Ridge, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 11-6.

Estero will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Naples at 7:30 p.m. on January 24th. As for Palmetto Ridge, they will host Golden Gate at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Palmetto Ridge has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 217 points over their last three games.