Basketball Recap: Celebration Comes Up Short

Celebration was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a blow against the Jackson County Blue Devils, falling 72-39. While losing is never fun, the Storm can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 311th in Florida, while the Blue Devils are ranked 72nd in Tennessee).

Despite the loss, Celebration saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Evelyn Juden dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten boards. Juden has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last ten times she's played.

Jackson County was led to victory by Claire Williams and Jalynn Meadows. Williams went 6 of 11 on her way to 16 points and six assists, while Meadows went 7 of 14 on her way to 16 points and seven assists. That's the most assists Williams has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabelle Beaty, who posted ten points and five assists.

Celebration now has a losing record at 5-6. As for Jackson County, their victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2.

Celebration will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Windermere at 7:00 p.m. on January 6, 2025. Jackson County also won't see the court for a while: their next game is against Cumberland County at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025.