The Lake Wales Highlanders will face off against the Bell Creek Academy Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Lake Wales turned things around against McKeel Academy on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 62-43 victory over the Wildcats. The Highlanders pushed the score to 49-23 by the end of the third, a deficit the Wildcats cut but never quite recovered from.
Sebastian Perez
| 01/14/25 vs McKeel Academy | 3 |
| 01/11/25 vs Freedom | 3 |
| 01/10/25 @ Sebring | 5 |
| 01/09/25 vs Lakeland | 2 |
| 01/07/25 vs Haines City | 2 |
Lake Wales can attribute much of their success to Sebastian Perez, who went 5 for 9 en route to 12 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Perez is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jorge Ramirez, who posted 11 points and three steals.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Bell Creek Academy faced off against McKeel Academy on Thursday. Bell Creek Academy walked away with a 69-57 win over McKeel Academy. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 158th, while the Wildcats are ranked 387th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lake Wales better keep an eye on Lyrique Sartin. He was instrumental in Bell Creek Academy's win, going 10 of 16 on his way to 28 points in addition to eight boards and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Josiah Payne, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Bell Creek Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Bell Creek Academy's record is now 11-7. As for Lake Wales, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-9.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
