Basketball Recap: Innovation Comes Up Short

Innovation was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They took a 67-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Colonial Grenadiers. While losing is never fun, the Bulls can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 651st, while the Grenadiers are ranked 176th).

Despite the defeat, Innovation saw an underclassman step up: freshman Carlos Naranjo went 8 of 14 on his way to 20 points. That's the most points Naranjo has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleb Bielski, who had 11 points and six boards.

Colonial's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Joel Beaton led the charge by going 5 for 6 en route to 12 points and seven rebounds. Beaton is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Silas Williams, who put up nine points along with eight boards and three steals.

Innovation's loss dropped their record down to 3-20. As for Colonial, they pushed their record up to 13-9 with the win, which was their third straight at home.

Innovation has already played their next match, a 72-52 defeat against Lake Nona on the 31st. As for Colonial, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 70-65 loss against Master's Academy on the 30th.