Basketball Recap: Escambia Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Roycen Jones and Hampton Brasfield

Escambia lost against Tate back in February and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Escambia Gators might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Tate Aggies an easy 80-58 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Gators have suffered against the Aggies since January 17, 2020.

Despite the loss, Escambia had strong showings from Hampton Brasfield, who posted nine points, and Roycen Jones, who put up ten points and four steals. That's the most points Brasfield has posted since back in December of 2023. Andre Umali was another key player, putting up four points and three steals.

Even though they lost, Escambia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Tate's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marcus Cooper, who went 7 of 14 on his way to 21 points and eight rebounds. Cooper is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Keontrez Montgomery, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 17 points.

This is the second loss in a row for Escambia and nudges their season record down to 2-6. As for Tate, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 6-5.

Escambia will venture away from home to face off against Bay at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Tate, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, an 89-58 victory against Navarre on the 20th.