The Spoto Spartans lost against the Blake Yellow Jackets back in December of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. Spoto was dealt a 76-41 loss at the hands of Blake. Spoto has struggled against Blake recently, as their matchup on Thursday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Spoto's loss came despite strong showings from Jerren Rodriguez and Jose Deleon. Rodriguez scored 11 points, while Deleon scored 12 points along with nine rebounds. Deleon is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Donovan McSwain was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
Blake found their leader in underclassman Joe Philon, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Philon has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Malik Brady-Ayers, who scored 12 points along with six assists.
Spoto has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-11 record this season. As for Blake, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Spoto and Strawberry Crest will face off at 8:00 p.m. on January 26th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Strawberry Crest is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak. As for Blake, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Chamberlain at 8:00 p.m. on January 26th. Chamberlain will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 558th, while Blake is ranked 67th).
