Basketball Recap: King Falls Despite Big Games from Nuri Hakim and Rodney Smith

King lost against Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate back in February of 2021 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The King Lions took a 58-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate Phoenix. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 656th, while the Phoenix are ranked 213th).

Rodney Smith and Nuri Hakim certainly did their best on Saturday to avoid the loss. Smith went 8 for 15 on his way to 19 points and four steals, while Hakim went 6 of 14 on his way to 16 points in addition to five assists and five boards. Smith is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Malik Hammond, who posted two points in addition to six rebounds and five steals.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: King was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

SIMEON JORDEN was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten boards for Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate. The dominant performance gave JORDEN a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of EMANI BROWN, who put up 11 points along with six boards and three blocks.

King has been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season. As for Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate, with the win, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 6-3.

King will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Jesuit at 7:00 p.m. on December 27th. Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate also won't see the court for a while: their next contest is against Pasco at 9:30 a.m. on December 26th.