After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Sarasota, the Parrish Community Bulls were happy to have found some success on Thursday. They took down North Port 55-38. Given Parrish Community's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 84th, while North Port is ranked 323rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Parrish Community's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mary Portwood led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds. Sarah Decker was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Despite the defeat, North Port saw an underclassman step up: Rhiley Richards scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Van Salisbury, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Parrish Community has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for North Port, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-13.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Parrish Community will take on Academy of the Holy Names at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Academy of the Holy Names is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games. As for North Port, they won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Bishop Verot at 7:00 p.m. on January 26th. Bishop Verot is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 51.2 points per game.
