Haines City has been on the road for two straight, but on Monday they'll finally head home. The Haines City Hornets and the McKeel Academy Wildcats will face off at 8:00 p.m. on January 15th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Haines City will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 551st, while McKeel Academy is ranked 229th).
Haines City pushed their score all the way to 60 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were outmatched by Discovery on the road and fell 87-60. Haines City has struggled against Discovery recently, as their match on Saturday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Jacob Patterson put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 13 points along with three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Deonte Fielder Jr was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, McKeel Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They escaped with a win against Mount Dora Christian Academy by the margin of a single free throw, 46-45.
Haines City has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-13 record this season. As for McKeel Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.
Haines City might still be hurting after the 78-58 loss they got from McKeel Academy in their previous matchup back in January of 2022. Will Haines City have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
