The Lemon Bay Manta Rays's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 92-80 to Imagine School at North Port. That's two games in a row now that Lemon Bay has lost by exactly 12 points.
Despite the loss, Lemon Bay saw an underclassman step up: Elias Gambrell dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Gambrell scored 15 or more points. Luke Brown was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, Lemon Bay were working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Imagine School at North Port's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Angelo Blas led the charge by dropping a double-double on 29 points and 16 rebounds. Blas is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Zahmir Jackson, who scored 21 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Lemon Bay's defeat was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 5-11. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.2 points per game. As for Imagine School at North Port, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-12.
Lemon Bay on the road again on Saturday and play against Cape Coral at 7:40 p.m. on January 20th. Cape Coral is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games. As for Imagine School at North Port, they will be playing at home against Saint Stephen's Episcopal at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
