The West Florida Jaguars's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. Their rough 64-38 defeat to Pine Forest might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, West Florida can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 216th, while Pine Forest is ranked 64th).
Several Jaguars players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Amani (AB) Bartholomew, who scored nine points along with 13 rebounds. Bartholomew hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for eight straight games. Another player making a difference was Damani Nicholson, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds.
Niylia Wilkins was her usual excellent self, scoring 24 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds for Pine Forest. Wilkins is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chrisshona Bargaineer, who scored seven points along with three steals.
West Florida has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season. As for Pine Forest, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-5.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. West Florida will square off against Choctawhatchee at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Choctawhatchee's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while West Florida has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road. Pine Forest won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Booker T. Washington at 6:00 p.m. on January 19th. Booker T. Washington is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
