It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Haines City ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the East Lake Eagles 61-58. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Hornets' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 333rd, while the Eagles are ranked 16th).
Eddy Hyppolite Jr. was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 16 points and ten assists. He is becoming a predictor of Haines City's success: when he posts at least ten assists the team is 6-3 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Dequarious Marks, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 17 points and seven rebounds.
Hornets
| 12/21/24 @ East Lake | 18 |
| 12/13/24 vs Vanguard | 17 |
| 01/08/24 @ Frostproof | 16 |
| 12/02/24 @ Excel Christian Academy | 15 |
| 12/17/24 @ Liberty | 14 |
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Haines City was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January.
East Lake's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jeremiah Cooper, who went 9 of 21 on his way to 26 points and six boards. Cooper's morning made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Bryant, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 boards.
Haines City's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-5. As for East Lake, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1.
Haines City will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Lake Wales at 8:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025. East Lake and Niceville will round out the year against one another at at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. East Lake is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 66.8 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
