The Centennial Eagles won the last time they faced the Okeechobee Brahmans, and things went their way on Saturday too. Centennial narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Okeechobee 54-51. Given Centennial's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while Okeechobee is ranked 381st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Centennial found their leader in underclassman Jayden Prosper, who scored 16 points. That's the first time this season that Prosper scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Brandon Castillo, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Okeechobee saw an underclassman step up: John White iii dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. White iii is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Chaynaya'ah Phillips, who scored 12 points.
Centennial is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. As for Okeechobee, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season.
Centennial will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Heritage at 3:30 p.m. on January 4, 2024. Okeechobee will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Eau Gallie at 7:00 p.m. on January 10, 2024.
