Even though the IMG Academy Blue Ascenders scored an imposing 72 points on Saturday, the Mainland Buccaneers still came out on top. Mainland took their match against IMG Academy Blue 83-72. Given Mainland's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 54th, while IMG Academy Blue is ranked 223rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mainland's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kade Manley led the charge by going 7 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 27 points and 1 assist. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Manley has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Nathan Kirk, who scored 22 points.
The victory makes it two in a row for Mainland and bumps their season record up to 12-4. As for IMG Academy Blue, their loss dropped their record down to 8-10.
Mainland and Melbourne will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 18th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Melbourne is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road. As for IMG Academy Blue, they will take on Bell Creek Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
