Basketball Recap: Keys Gate Takes a Loss

If Keys Gate was riding high fresh off their 56-13 takedown of Central last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Keys Gate Knights took a 50-37 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Mater Academy Charter Lions on Tuesday. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Knights this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 45-43 back in December of 2024.

Despite the loss, Keys Gate still got an impressive performance from Essence Deleon, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. Deleon has been hot, having also posted three or more steals the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Daniella Pujadas, who posted nine points and three steals.

Mater Academy Charter's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Halle Jordan, who had 11 points. Via Hazelton was another key player, putting up ten points.

Keys Gate has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season. As for Mater Academy Charter, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season.

Keys Gate has already played their next contest (against Coral Shores), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Mater Academy Charter wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 35-25 defeat against Mater Lakes Academy on the 29th.