Basketball Recap: Santaluces Comes Up Short

Santaluces suffered their closest defeat since February 2, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of the Inlet Grove Hurricanes by a score of 51-48. The Chiefs lost against the Hurricanes in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 76-40 score last time.

Despite the loss, Santaluces still got an impressive performance from Geovanni Casteel, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 boards. The dominant performance gave Casteel a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Hamilton, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.

Even though they lost, Santaluces smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Inlet Grove only pulled down seven offensive boards.

Inlet Grove found their leader in sophomore Ja?Marcus Johnson, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 15 points and three steals. The match was Johnson's third in a row with at least ten points. Jorden Black was another key player, putting up nine points.

Santaluces has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.3 points per game. As for Inlet Grove, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 13-3.

Santaluces won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Boynton Beach at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Inlet Grove, they also won't have to wait long for more action: they'll challenge Cardinal Newman at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.