Basketball Recap: Jaden Lindsay and DEREK RAMIREZ Secure Win for Auburndale

Auburndale won the last time they faced Ridge Community and things went their way on Thursday too. The Auburndale Bloodhounds sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 51-49 win over the Ridge Community Bolts. Given the Bloodhounds' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 128th, while the Bolts are ranked 335th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading Auburndale to victory were DEREK RAMIREZ and Jaden Lindsay. RAMIREZ went 7 for 14 on his way to 19 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals, while Lindsay almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. Lindsay has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last nine times he's played. Another player making a difference was DESHAWN JOHNSON, who posted seven points.

Auburndale smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive games.

When it comes to explaining why Ridge Community lost, don't look at Eugene Daniels. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Daniels a new career-high in blocks (three). Tarique Kennedy was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Auburndale's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-5. As for Ridge Community, they now have a losing record at 9-10.

Auburndale will face off against Winter Haven at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Auburndale is facing Winter Haven at the right time seeing as Winter Haven is stuck on a nine-game losing streak. As for Ridge Community, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 76-41 loss against Jordan Christian Prep on the 25th.