Basketball Recap: Carlos Escalera Jr. and Sebastian Rivera Secure Win for Southland Christian

The Rock typically has all the answers at home, but on Thursday Southland Christian proved too difficult a challenge. They secured an 83-77 W over The Rock Lions. The win was all the more spectacular given the FLAMES's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 85th, while the Lions are ranked 17th).

Sebastian Rivera

Blocked Shots (Career)

02/06/25 @ The Rock	4
01/18/25 vs Central Pointe Christian Academy	2
01/16/25 @ DME Academy Gold	2
01/07/25 @ Hope Academy	2
01/31/25 vs Osceola	1

Southland Christian was led to victory by Sebastian Rivera and Carlos Escalera Jr.. Rivera went 10 of 15 en route to 32 points and four blocks, while Escalera Jr. went 8 for 13 on his way to 22 points along with eight assists and eight rebounds. The dominant performance gave Rivera a new career-high in blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Ismael Perez, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 12 boards.

Southland Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Southland Christian's record now sits at 21-3. As for The Rock, with the loss, they broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 15-7.

Southland Christian won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Pathways at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Southland Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Pathways likes a good challenge. The Rock does not have any more games scheduled as of now.