Basketball Recap: Pensacola Catholic Falls Despite Big Games from Donnelle Gulley and Sam Quebedeaux

Pensacola Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 59-57 heartbreaker at the hands of the St. John Paul II Panthers. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Crusaders have suffered since November 26, 2024.

Despite the defeat, Pensacola Catholic had strong showings from Sam Quebedeaux, who posted 19 points along with five boards and four steals, and Donnelle Gulley, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. The matchup was Quebedeaux's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Derion Gould, who scored four points.

Even though they lost, Pensacola Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 6 offensive boards per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 10.3.

St. John Paul II was led to victory by Mario Forbes and Cruz Fontenot. Forbes dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Fontenot went 6 of 14 en route to 17 points and five assists. Forbes is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least nine every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Aaron Nixon, who had nine points.

Pensacola Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 12-8. As for St. John Paul II, their victory ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-12.

Pensacola Catholic wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 73-57 win against Freeport on the 31st. As for St. John Paul II, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 60-32 defeat against Maclay on the 31st.