Recap: Pinellas Park Patriots vs. Tarpon Springs Spongers
The Pinellas Park Patriots suffered their biggest defeat since December 21, 2023 on Thursday. They suffered a tough 68-47 loss at the hands of Tarpon Springs. Pinellas Park was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-15.
When it comes to explaining why Pinellas Park lost, one person who can't be blamed is Sayla Thach. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Thach pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ezekial Bohlmann, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Tarpon Springs' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Geramyah Porter led the charge by dropping a double-double on 21 points and 13 steals. Porter is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Jomar Encarnacion was another key contributor, scoring 20 points along with eight rebounds.
Pinellas Park bumped their record down to 1-14 with that defeat, which was their 16th straight on the road. As for Tarpon Springs, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pinellas Park won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Northside Christian at 7:30 p.m. on January 19th. Northside Christian is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. As for Tarpon Springs, they will head out on the road to square off against Clearwater at 7:45 p.m. on Monday. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Nicho Simes and Porter.
