Basketball Recap: Tristan Hamilton's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Melbourne Central Catholic over Morningside Academy

Melbourne Central Catholic has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 68-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Morningside Academy Eagles on Saturday. That's two games in a row now that the Hustlers have lost by exactly eight points.

Melbourne Central Catholic lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Tristan Hamilton, who went 6 of 15 en route to 14 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Another player making a difference was Henry Lane, who posted 17 points.

Hustlers

Previous 2 Games

01/25/25 vs Morningside Academy	60-68
01/22/25 @ Edgewood	47-55

Even though they lost, Melbourne Central Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Morningside Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Elijah Bell, who went 8 for 16 on his way to 21 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. Bell has been hot recently, having posted 18 or more points the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of AJ Chang, who scored 22 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Melbourne Central Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 12-4. As for Morningside Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-9 record this season.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Melbourne Central Catholic will host Elite Prep Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Melbourne Central Catholic is facing Elite Prep Academy at the right time seeing as Elite Prep Academy is stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for Morningside Academy, they will take on Somerset College Prep Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Morningside Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.8 points per game this season.