Basketball Recap: Manatee Comes Up Short

Manatee lost against Palmetto back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The Manatee Hurricanes came up short against the Palmetto Tigers, falling 81-56. While losing is never fun, the Hurricanes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 256th, while the Tigers are ranked 120th).

Keith Fields

Steals

01/21/25 @ Palmetto	5
01/14/25 @ Lakewood Ranch	3
01/13/25 @ Riverview Sarasota	6
01/10/25 @ Bayshore	9
01/08/25 @ Sarasota	3

Despite the loss, Manatee still got an impressive performance from Keith Fields, who posted 17 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. Fields has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 19 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tatum Spikes, who went 7 for 14 on his way to 19 points.

Even though they lost, Manatee smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Manatee's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-9. As for Palmetto, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-5.

Manatee has already played their next contest, a 58-43 win against Bradenton Christian on the 23rd. As for Palmetto, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 66-34 victory against Parrish Community on the 23rd.