Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 14 to 3 on the offensive boards, a fact the Benjamin Buccaneers proved on Friday. They slipped by Pine Crest 49-48. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Benjamin also won the last time the pair played back in January of 2023.
Drew Buchanan was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Adam Balogoun-ali, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Despite the defeat, Pine Crest saw an underclassman step up: Rowan Hoffman dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds. Hoffman has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Joseph Teich, who scored ten points.
Benjamin's win bumped their record up to 6-9. As for Pine Crest, their loss dropped their record down to 5-8.
Benjamin won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Elite Academy at 7:00 p.m. on January 13th. Elite Academy presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Benjamin in Florida (Elite Academy is ranked 124th, while Benjamin is ranked 396th). As for Pine Crest, they will be playing in front of their home fans against West Boca Raton at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
