Basketball Recap: Miami Beach Comes Up Short

Miami Beach managed to keep up with Reagan until halftime on Thursday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Miami Beach Hi-Tides were beaten by the Reagan Bison 70-43. While losing is never fun, the Hi-Tides can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 293rd, while the Bison are ranked 114th).

Reagan got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Sebastian Gonzalez out in front who posted 21 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The dominant performance also gave Gonzalez a new career-high in steals (four). Another player making a difference was Ronal Hodelin, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 17 boards.

Miami Beach has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-10 record this season. As for Reagan, they pushed their record up to 13-5 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Miami Beach won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against North Miami at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. North Miami will roll in looking for their 12th straight win, something Miami Beach surely won't give up without a fight. As for Reagan, they also won't have to wait long for more action: they'll face off against Downtown Doral at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Downtown Doral is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.9 points per game this season.