It was a good run, but the Pine Forest Eagles unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 52-51 to West Florida. Pine Forest was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as West Florida apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.
Several Eagles players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Maurice Smith, who scored 15 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Micah Franklin, who scored 14 points.
Leading West Florida to victory were Jakobe Fairley and Brayden Justice. Fairley scored 13 points along with six rebounds, while Justice scored 13 points along with two steals. Justice's trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Devin Bonner was another key contributor, scoring three points along with six rebounds.
Pine Forest's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-8. As for West Florida, their victory bumped their record up to 10-8.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pine Forest on the road again on Friday and play against Booker T. Washington at 7:30 p.m. on January 19th. Booker T. Washington will be looking to keep their four-game home win streak alive. As for West Florida, they will head out on the road to challenge Destin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (Destin is ranked 374th, while West Florida is ranked 384th).
