After flying high against the Northampton Yellowjackets on Friday, the King & Queen Central Royal Tigers came back down to earth. King & Queen Central had to suffer through a rough 72-32 loss at the hands of Essex. While losing is never fun, King & Queen Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 355th, while Essex is ranked 144th).
Jaylah Mercer was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 26 points and 15 rebounds for Essex. That makes it three consecutive games in which Mercer has scored at least 25% of Essex's points. Another player making a difference was Morgan Self, who dropped a triple-double on 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks.
King & Queen Central now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Essex, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 7-0.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. King & Queen Central won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Carver College and Career Academy at 6:00 p.m. on January 9th. Carver College and Career Academy's defense has only allowed 18.5 points per game this season, so King & Queen Central's offense will have their work cut out for King & Queen Central. Essex won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Rappahannock at 7:00 p.m. on January 9th.
