Basketball Recap: Kyden Heniger's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Clearwater over St. Petersburg

Clearwater and St. Petersburg squared off in some playoff action on Wednesday, but Clearwater had to settle for second. The contest between them and the St. Petersburg Green Devils didn't end well, with the Clearwater Tornadoes falling 76-61. The Tornadoes have struggled against the Green Devils recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.

Clearwater lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Kyden Heniger, who posted 18 points along with five assists and four steals. That's the most steals Heniger has posted since back in December of 2024. Keshawn Andrews was another key player, putting up 15 points and three blocks.

St. Petersburg found their leader in freshman Nijaun Harris, who went 13 for 24 on his way to 35 points and eight rebounds. Harris' evening made it 23 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Emir Gainer, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 assists.

Clearwater's record is now 13-12. As for St. Petersburg, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 15-10 record this season.

Clearwater does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for St. Petersburg, they will be playing at home against Countryside at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in St. Petersburg's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.