Crystal River has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Central Bears at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
On Monday, Crystal River lost to Dunnellon at home by a decisive 75-60 margin. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Crystal River in their matchups with Dunnellon: they've now lost three in a row.
The losing side was boosted by Zachary Hamilton, who scored 21 points along with five assists and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Ej Jenkins, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Central had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They enjoyed a cozy 79-60 win over Weeki Wachee. Given Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while Weeki Wachee is ranked 606th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Central got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jeroen "jd" Watson out in front who scored 23 points along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Watson is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tykel Williams, who scored 23 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Crystal River has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-11 record this season. As for Central, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Crystal River have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 39.6% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've made 47.6% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Crystal River was dealt a bruising 79-33 loss at the hands of Central when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Central's Ethan Bergantino, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten assists. Now that Crystal River knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
