The Westwood Christian Warriors waltzed into their match Tuesday with six straight wins but they left with seven. They escaped with a win against Coral Reef by the margin of a single free throw, 64-63. Given Westwood Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 154th, while Coral Reef is ranked 436th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Westwood Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ethan Taylor, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. The contest was Taylor's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Jayden Rosario was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six assists and three steals.
Several Barracudas players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Gianmarco Altare, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Yvon Mbenza, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and five steals.
Westwood Christian pushed their record up to 7-2 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Coral Reef, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-7 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Westwood Christian and Sunset will face off at 7:30 p.m. on December 21st without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. As for Coral Reef, they will head out on the road to face off against Belen Jesuit at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
