After a string of five wins, the Mainland Buccaneers's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell 65-52 to Palm Beach Lakes. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Mainland came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while Palm Beach Lakes is ranked 132nd).
Mainland's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Narayan Thomas, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and three steals. The matchup was Thomas' fourth in a row with at least ten points. DeAndre Newland was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Mainland's loss ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-2. As for Palm Beach Lakes, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
Mainland won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Wolfson at 7:30 p.m. on December 28th. Wolfson is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak. Palm Beach Lakes won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy at 6:00 p.m. on December 28th.
