Hawthorne falls despite strong effort from Jakobi Smith

By Team Reports Jan 25, 2024, 6:38am

Recap: Hawthorne Cougars vs. Beverly Hills Normans

The Hawthorne Cougars suffered their biggest defeat since December 7, 2023 on Wednesday. They took a serious blow against Beverly Hills, falling 83-42. While losing is never fun, Hawthorne can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1035th, while Beverly Hills is ranked 315th).

Despite the loss, Hawthorne still got an impressive performance from Jakobi Smith, who scored 19 points. Another player making a difference was Alfredo Ramirez, who scored six points.

Hawthorne has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season. As for Beverly Hills, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-10.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hawthorne will face off against Centennial at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Centennial is on a four-game streak of home losses, Hawthorne a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck is about to change. As for Beverly Hills, they will head out on the road to take on Morningside at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Morningside aren't just struggling at home either: they haven't won a game anywhere since November 20, 2023.