The Inlet Grove Hurricanes pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were beaten by St. John Paul II Academy 87-55. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Inlet Grove came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 230th, while St. John Paul II Academy is ranked 526th).
Despite the defeat, Inlet Grove saw an underclassman step up: Robert Brown scored 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Llyod Rene, who scored eight points.
It was another big night for Dior Johnson, who scored 26 points along with seven assists and four steals for St. John Paul II Academy. Johnson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Rowan Linder was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Inlet Grove's loss dropped their record down to 8-3. As for St. John Paul II Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 3-5 record this season.
Inlet Grove will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Lake Worth at 7:30 p.m. on January 9, 2024. St. John Paul II Academy and Palm Beach Gardens will face off at 5:00 p.m. on December 27th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Palm Beach Gardens is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
