This season hasn't been kind to the Fruitdale Pirates, who are still winless after their 13th contest. They had to suffer through a rough 82-46 loss at the hands of Leroy. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Fruitdale has suffered since December 7, 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Fruitdale lost on Friday, one person who can't be blamed is Deion Taylor. Despite the final result, he scored 32 points along with six rebounds. That was a full 69.6% of Fruitdale's points, marking the 13th time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Fruitdale struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Leroy racked up 14 assists.
Leroy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jaquan Scott led the charge by scoring 17 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Scott continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ray Phillips, who scored 15 points along with seven assists and two steals.
Fruitdale's defeat was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 0-13. As for Leroy, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-7.
Fruitdale will square off against Millry at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Leroy, they will be playing at home against McIntosh at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. McIntosh will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
