The Vanguard Knights struggled with three-point shooting accuracy on Wednesday (the North Tampa Christian Academy Titans were 20% better) and sadly the final score reflected it. Vanguard took a 52-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of North Tampa Christian Academy. While losing is never fun, Vanguard can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 163rd, while North Tampa Christian Academy is ranked 30th).
Despite the loss, Vanguard saw an underclassman step up: Dylan Harris scored seven points along with 12 rebounds and two steals. Kevin Campbell was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
North Tampa Christian Academy found their leader in underclassman Toni Bryant, who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 blocks. Bryant is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Jordan Bryant, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Vanguard bumped their record down to 10-7 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. As for North Tampa Christian Academy, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 18-2.
Vanguard will head out on the road to challenge Williston at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Williston knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five games -- so hopefully Vanguard likes a good challenge. North Tampa Christian Academy on the road again on Friday and play against Palmetto at 12:45 p.m. on January 19th. Palmetto is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.
