The Wesley Chapel Wildcats had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They came out on top against King by a score of 78-68. Given Wesley Chapel's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while King is ranked 383rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wesley Chapel's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sian Morris, who scored 20 points along with six assists and four steals. The game was Morris' 13th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Trey Murray, who scored 19 points along with five assists and five rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why King lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jabriel Hakim. Despite the final result, he scored 30 points along with nine rebounds. Hakim scored a full 44.1% of King's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Julien Barnett was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Wesley Chapel's win bumped their record up to 10-3. As for King, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Wesley Chapel and Cypress Creek will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 10th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. King is on the road again on Tuesday and play against Armwood at 8:00 p.m. on January 9th. The timing isn't great for Armwood: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while King has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
