Basketball Recap: Zamiel Cruz's Big Game Can't Quite Lead St. Francis over Heritage Christian

St. Francis lost against Heritage Christian back in December of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The St. Francis Mariners fell just short of the Heritage Christian Patriots by a score of 75-73.

St. Francis' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zamiel Cruz, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 boards. Cruz is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least 11 every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Cameron Nerby, who went 9 of 21 en route to 24 points.

St. Francis' loss was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Heritage Christian, they moved to 3-4 with that victory, which also ended their four-game losing streak.

St. Francis didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 71-39 defeat against Milwaukee School of Languages on the 14th. Heritage Christian will take on Lake Country Lutheran in a holiday battle at at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday.