The Melbourne Bulldogs were the 65-53 winner over The First Academy Royals when they last played one another back in January of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Melbourne was the victim of a tough 74-53 loss at the hands of the Royals on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, Melbourne can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 407th, while the Royals are ranked 142nd).
The First Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Lorenzo De jesus out in front who scored 30 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points De jesus has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Max Simmons, who scored ten points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Melbourne dropped their record down to 8-14 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for The First Academy, their win bumped their record up to 14-10.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Melbourne and the Eagles will face off at 7:30 p.m. on February 1st without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Centennial focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 last Tuesday. As for The First Academy, they will be playing in front of their home fans against the Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sports Leadership & Management has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 561 points over their last seven matches.
