Basketball Recap: Zion Williams' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Kathleen over Haines City

Kathleen was the 59-48 winner over Haines City when they last played one another back in December of 2020, but their luck changed this time around. The Kathleen Red Devils took a 70-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Haines City Hornets on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Red Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 589th, while the Hornets are ranked 289th).

Several Red Devils players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Zion Williams, who posted 13 points. That's the most points Williams has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Keys, who earned 12 points and eight rebounds.

Dequarious Marks was a one-man wrecking crew for Haines City as he dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 boards. Another player making a difference was Eddy Hyppolite Jr., who went 7 of 10 on his way to 15 points along with five assists and four steals.

Kathleen's defeat was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 3-14. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points per game. As for Haines City, the victory got them back to even at 10-10.

Kathleen has already played their next contest, a 77-58 loss against McKeel Academy on the 24th. As for Haines City, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 49-44 win against Poinciana on the 24th.