Basketball Recap: Central Takes a Loss

Central was the 55-53 winner over Pleasant Home when they last played one another back in December of 2018, but their luck changed this time around. The Central Jaguars took a blow against the Pleasant Home Eagles on Saturday, falling 66-39. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 523rd in Florida, while the Eagles are ranked 112th in Alabama).

Central lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Carson Baxley, who posted eight points and three steals. Baxley is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Isaac Mathews, who put up six points and eight rebounds.

Jaguars

Offensive Rebounds

12/14/24 vs Pleasant Home	19
11/18/24 @ Laurel Hill	18
01/19/24 vs Flomaton	17
11/27/23 vs West Florida Baptist Academy	16
11/30/23 @ Pensacola Christian Academy	15

Even though they lost, Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2023.

It was another big night for Dillan Purifoy, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 23 rebounds for Pleasant Home. The team also got some help courtesy of John Luke Colvin, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds.

This is the second loss in a row for Central and nudges their season record down to 5-6. As for Pleasant Home, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 7-0.

Central didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 48-38 defeat against West Florida Baptist Academy on the 17th. As for Pleasant Home, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, an 88-66 win against Geneva County on the 16th.