The Hardee Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight loss. They were beaten by Mulberry 58-24. Hardee was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-11.
Despite the defeat, Hardee had strong showings from Tylia Graham, who scored six points along with seven steals and five rebounds, and Danaelle Pierre, who scored four points along with six rebounds and three steals. Those seven steals set a new season-high mark for her. Jermaiyah Cunningham was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Lorianys Castanon Cruz continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for Mulberry, scoring 31 points. The matchup was Castanon Cruz's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Alana Standifer, who scored eight points.
Hardee's loss was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-5. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 22.6 points per game. As for Mulberry, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hardee will challenge Oasis Christian at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Oasis Christian focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 32 on Tuesday. Mulberry will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on McKeel Academy at 6:00 p.m. on January 4, 2024.
