Basketball Recap: Matanzas' Undefeated Season over After Three Games

Matanzas was the 55-53 winner over Vanguard when they last played one another back in December of 2019, but their luck changed this time around. The Pirates took a 61-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Knights on Monday. The loss put an end to the Pirates' undefeated start to the season.

Curtis (CJ) Giles

Points

11/24/25 @ Vanguard	29
11/20/25 vs Menendez	21
11/18/25 vs Deltona	15

Despite the defeat, Matanzas saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Curtis (CJ) Giles went 10-for-16 to rack up 29 points. The contest was Giles' third in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamel Guerrero, who posted 12 points.

Leading Vanguard to victory were Michael 'MJ' Jackson and Cayden Croskey. Jackson dropped a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Croskey earned 19 points and four steals. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Collins, who scored eight points.

Having lost for the first time this season, Matanzas fell to 2-1. As for Vanguard, the win got them back to even at 1-1.

Matanzas didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 76-55 loss against Seabreeze on the 1st. As for Vanguard, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 48-31 victory against Cocoa on the 25th.