The Taylor Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 67-51 bruising from First Academy. Taylor was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as First Academy apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2023.
Taylor lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Anthony Miler, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds. Alex Gomez was another key contributor, scoring six points along with three steals.
Amari Smith was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 20 points and 15 rebounds for First Academy. Smith is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Rhett Walsh, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Taylor has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season. As for First Academy, their win bumped their record up to 4-7.
Taylor will head out on the road to square off against Ocala Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (Ocala Christian is ranked 747th, while Taylor is ranked 755th). First Academy won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Tavares at 7:00 p.m. on January 12th. Tavares is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
