Basketball Recap: Leah Barker's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Palm Harbor University over Keswick Christian

Palm Harbor University lost against Keswick Christian back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Palm Harbor University Hurricanes fell to the Keswick Christian Crusaders 53-49. While the Hurricanes didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Crusaders 13-8 in the first quarter.

Palm Harbor University lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Leah Barker, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 22 boards. Barker is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last 11 games she's played. Brenna Walters was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten boards.

Even though they lost, Palm Harbor University smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Keswick Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Maya Devega, who went 5 of 12 on her way to 13 points and four steals. Those four steals gave Devega a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Angel L?Eon, who posted eight points and eight rebounds.

Palm Harbor University's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-5. As for Keswick Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.

Palm Harbor University has already played their next game (against East Lake), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Keswick Christian didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 51-50 victory against Academy of the Holy Names on the 10th.