Palm Bay had to travel to play their first game of the season, but the final result was worth the trip. They walked away with a 50-41 win over the Cocoa Beach Minutemen on Thursday. The Pirates have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Minutemen, too.
Palm Bay got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Elijah Buffong out in front who scored 14 points in addition to six assists and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamari Nesmith, who had ten points plus five rebounds and four steals.
Palm Bay smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
When it comes to explaining why Cocoa Beach lost, don't look at Max Louis. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Lukas Stevens, who posted eight points in addition to two steals.
Cocoa Beach's loss dropped their record down to 0-2.
Palm Bay has already played their next contest, a 50-46 defeat against Astronaut on the 22nd. As for Cocoa Beach, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 51-49 loss against West Shore on the 22nd.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
