Basketball Recap: Malaki Baker and Alex Springs Secure Win for St. Cloud

St. Cloud saw some tournament action on Monday. They strolled past the Sports Leadership & Management Spartans with points to spare, taking the game 61-44. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Spartans are ranked 227th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading St. Cloud to victory were Alex Springs and Malaki Baker. Springs dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 boards, while Baker almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. Those 16 points gave Baker a new career-high. Ryan Rodriguez was another key player, putting up nine points.

St. Cloud smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive games.

St. Cloud's win bumped their record up to 13-1. As for Sports Leadership & Management, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season.

St. Cloud will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Jensen Beach at 2:30 p.m. on January 3, 2025. Sports Leadership & Management also won't see the court for a while: their next contest is against Bloomingdale at 6:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025. Bloomingdale has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 176 points over their last three games.