The Baker County Wildcats came tearing into Thursday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Stanton 54-51. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Baker County has posted yet this season.
Among those leading the charge was Jackson Carver, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Washington, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Stanton's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Christian Ricks, who scored 16 points along with two steals and two blocks, and Raza Cottey who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. Cottey hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for eight straight games. Filip Jakovljevic was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
Baker County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-9 record this season. As for Stanton, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Baker County's road trip will continue as they head out to face Middleburg at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. As for Stanton, they will challenge Riverside at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Riverside presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Stanton in Florida (Riverside is ranked 157th, while Stanton is ranked 389th).
