Basketball Recap: Opp Comes Up Short

Opp fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Florala on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Florala Wildcats 57-53. The Bobcats were not able to make up for their loss to the Wildcats from their previous meeting back in December of 2022.

When it comes to explaining why Opp lost, don't look at DJ Hines. Despite the final result, he almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine boards. Hines is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jeshurun Crittenden, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards.

Florala was led to victory by Noah Bryan and Elijah McMeans. Bryan went 7 of 11from beyond the arc on his way to 27 points, while McMeans dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most points McMeans has posted since back in December of 2023.

This is the second loss in a row for Opp and nudges their season record down to 5-2. As for Florala, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 5-0.

Opp and Florala should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Alabama Rankings. Opp (ranked 185th) will meet Red Level (ranked 373rd) at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Opp is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53 points per game this season. Similarly, Florala (ranked 89th) will meet Emmanuel Christian (ranked 675th) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.