The Pineapple Cove Classical Academy Patriots's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 47-36 hit to the loss column at the hands of Melbourne Central Catholic. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy in their matchups with Melbourne Central Catholic: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the defeat, Pineapple Cove Classical Academy saw an underclassman step up: Michael Barna scored 12 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Another player making a difference was Anthony Bender, who scored ten points along with six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Pineapple Cove Classical Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Melbourne Central Catholic only pulled down nine offensive rebounds.
Melbourne Central Catholic's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hayden Deane led the charge by scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Deane has scored at least a third of Melbourne Central Catholic's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaevion Cooper, who scored 12 points.
Pineapple Cove Classical Academy bumped their record down to 3-10 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-2.
Pineapple Cove Classical Academy will head out on the road to take on Edgewood at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Edgewood is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, they will be playing at home against Four Corners at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
