If the Bradenton Christian Panthers were feeling good off their 77-54 takedown of the Manatee Hurricanes last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Bradenton Christian fell just short of Wiregrass Ranch by a score of 80-77. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
It was another big night for KJ Smith, who scored 35 points along with seven steals and five rebounds for Wiregrass Ranch. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Preston Linville, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds.
Bradenton Christian's loss dropped their record down to 16-6. As for Wiregrass Ranch, the victory (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 20-2.
Bradenton Christian won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against IMG Academy at 4:00 p.m. on January 27th. IMG Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past ten matches -- so hopefully Bradenton Christian likes a good challenge. As for Wiregrass Ranch, they will head out on the road to take on Berkeley Prep at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
