Basketball Recap: Aleimis Carballo's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Leonard over Santaluces

Leonard was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 54-49 heartbreaker at the hands of the Santaluces Chiefs. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Lancers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 55-46 back in December of 2024.

Leonard's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aleimis Carballo, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 18 points. That's the most points Carballo has posted since back in November of 2024. Jeff Jean was another key player, putting up 11 points and eight rebounds.

Leading Santaluces to victory were Fabensky Pierrelouis and Geovanni Casteel. Pierrelouis dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 boards, while Casteel almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds. Pierrelouis is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Termaine Hollis, who posted ten points.

Leonard's defeat dropped their record down to 4-16. As for Santaluces, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-12.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Leonard will take on Lake Worth on Monday. Leonard is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.2 points per game this season. Santaluces has already played their next match (against Boca Raton), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.