While it was all tied up 26-26 at halftime, the Seminole Warhawks were not quite the IMG Academy Blue Ascenders's equal in the second half on Monday. Seminole fell to IMG Academy Blue 57-52. Seminole lost against IMG Academy Blue in their previous head to head back in January of 2023, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 59-30 score last time.
Despite the loss, Seminole still got an impressive performance from Laney Pearson, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 33 points and 1 assist. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Pearson has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Devon Swartz, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Seminole bumped their record down to 8-11 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 27.3 points per game. As for IMG Academy Blue, their win bumped their record up to 3-5.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Seminole won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Indian Rocks Christian at 6:00 p.m. on January 16th. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Malia Stevens and Pearson. As for IMG Academy Blue, they will head out on the road to face off against Port Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Port Charlotte presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than IMG Academy Blue in Florida (Port Charlotte is ranked 136th, while IMG Academy Blue is ranked 285th).
