Basketball Recap: Clearwater Takes Loss Despite Strong Performances from Keshawn Andrews and Ari Tirado

Clearwater suffered their closest loss since January 9, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of the Gateway Eagles by a score of 54-51. The Tornadoes have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second defeat in a row.

Clearwater's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ari Tirado, who went 5 of 12 en route to 12 points, and Keshawn Andrews, who went 8 of 13 on his way to 17 points. Andrews is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kris Foote, who posted eight points.

Even though they lost, Clearwater was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gateway only racked up five assists.

Gateway got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was EJ Monteagudo out in front who put up 15 points and seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Andrew Leopold, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 13 points and six rebounds.

Clearwater's defeat dropped their record down to 9-3. As for Gateway, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.

Clearwater didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 68-43 win against IMG Academy Gray on the 4th. As for Gateway, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 59-49 victory against Community School of Naples on the 4th.