Basketball Recap: West Florida Comes Up Short

West Florida was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a hard 70-56 fall against the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 576th, while the Crusaders are ranked 210th).

When it comes to explaining why West Florida lost, don't look at Brayden Justice. Despite the final result, he went 10 for 19 on his way to 23 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave Justice a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Frank Likely, who posted eight points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Pensacola Catholic's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Solomon Sutton, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards. Sam Quebedeaux was another key player, putting up 17 points.

West Florida's defeat dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Pensacola Catholic, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 7-2.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the West Florida Jaguars take on the Pensacola Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Pensacola Catholic, they will take on Rocky Bayou Christian at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Pensacola Catholic's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last eight matches.