The Martin County Tigers's game on Friday was all tied up 20-20 at the half, but sadly for them it didn't stay that way. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 41-40 to Palm Beach Gardens. While losing is never fun, Martin County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while Palm Beach Gardens is ranked 26th).
Martin County lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Becca Witt, who scored 11 points along with nine rebounds and five assists. Cameron Slate was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with 14 rebounds.
Palm Beach Gardens' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brandi Brown led the charge by scoring 13 points along with five assists and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Alicia Russell, who scored 13 points along with three blocks and two steals.
Martin County dropped their record down to 11-6 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Palm Beach Gardens, the victory was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 16-2.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Martin County will take on Centennial at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Centennial focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Saturday. As for Palm Beach Gardens, they the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Palm Beach Central at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd.
