Basketball Recap: Cayden Croskey's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Vanguard over Lake Weir

Vanguard was the 56-48 winner over Lake Weir when they last played one another back in December of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Knights fell 53-45 to the Hurricanes on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Knights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 254th, while the Hurricanes are ranked 86th).

Vanguard's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cayden Croskey, who posted 14 points. Dylan Harris was another key player, putting up ten points and seven rebounds.

Lake Weir's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Antonio Jackson, who earned ten points and six boards. The dominant performance also gave Jackson a new career-high in field goal percentage (80%). Another player making a difference was Adrian Smith, who scored eight points and ten rebounds.

Vanguard's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Lake Weir, they pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road.

Coming up, Vanguard won't have much time to rest: their next game is against West Port at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Knights will be up against the Wolf Pack's rather soft defense (which has allowed 65 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Lake Weir, they will challenge Dunnellon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.