The Mulberry Panthers fought the good fight in their overtime game against the George Jenkins Eagles on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 65-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Eagles. Mulberry has not had much luck with George Jenkins recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
When it comes to explaining why Mulberry lost, one person who can't be blamed is Lorianys Castanon Cruz. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 44 points and 12 steals. That was a full 77.2% of Mulberry's points, marking the eighth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alana Standifer, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
Even though they lost, Mulberry smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead George Jenkins to victory, but perhaps none more so than Taylor Gibson, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 14 rebounds. Gibson also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Marykate Benham, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Mulberry's defeat dropped their record down to 6-2. As for George Jenkins, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Mulberry will take on Bartow at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Bartow is hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses. As for George Jenkins, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Kathleen at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Kathleen will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
