Basketball Recap: Nijaun Harris' Big Game Can't Quite Lead St. Petersburg over University Christian

On Friday, the St. Petersburg Green Devils opened the new year with a less-than-successful 70-58 loss to the University Christian Christians. The match marked the Green Devils' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Nijaun Harris

Points

01/03/25 vs University Christian	17
01/02/25 vs East Lake	21
12/20/24 @ Lakewood	18
12/10/24 @ Largo	36
12/05/24 vs Boca Ciega	28

St. Petersburg lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Nijaun Harris, who posted 17 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Harris' morning made it 13 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Zach Davis, who had seven points and five assists.

Even though they lost, St. Petersburg smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in six consecutive games.

University Christian got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ty Duncan out in front who went 7 of 13 on his way to 18 points and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Augustine Ayelyine, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.

St. Petersburg's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for University Christian, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 7-6.

St. Petersburg didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 63-58 loss against Gateway Charter on the 4th. As for University Christian, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 76-73 defeat against Tampa Catholic on the 4th.