Basketball Recap: Gabriella Nocco's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Berkeley Prep over Bradenton Christian

If Berkeley Prep was riding high fresh off their 52-24 takedown of Tampa Prep last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers fell 41-34 to the Bradenton Christian Panthers on Tuesday. The Buccaneers were not able to make up for their defeat to the Panthers from their previous meeting back in January of 2023.

Several Buccaneers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Gabriella Nocco, who posted 11 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Those eight boards gave Nocco a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Madeline Dean, who earned eight points and nine rebounds.

Even though they lost, Berkeley Prep smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 17 offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Taylor Blunden was her usual excellent self, going 6 of 12 en route to 20 points in addition to eight boards and three steals for Bradenton Christian. Avery Blunden was another key player, putting up eight points and nine rebounds.

Berkeley Prep's loss was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Bradenton Christian, they moved to 11-9 with that win, which also ended their four-game losing streak.

Berkeley Prep wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 75-25 defeat against Riverview Sarasota on the 24th. As for Bradenton Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 40-21 loss against Keswick Christian on the 23rd.