Basketball Recap: Zakharia Rutledge's Big Game Can't Quite Lead George Jenkins over Haines City

George Jenkins lost against Haines City back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The George Jenkins Eagles lost 59-39 to the Haines City Hornets. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

George Jenkins lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Zakharia Rutledge, who posted 15 points. Another player making a difference was Taleah Turner, who put up eight points and 11 boards.

Haines City's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Delissa Morris led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine steals. Morris is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 16 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Delyana Morris, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.

George Jenkins' defeat dropped their record down to 10-7. As for Haines City, the win was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-5.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. George Jenkins and Lake Gibson will face off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. George Jenkins is facing Lake Gibson at the right time seeing as Lake Gibson is stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Haines City, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against North Florida Educational Institute at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Haines City knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five matches -- so hopefully North Florida Educational Institute likes a good challenge.