The Ocala Christian Crusaders's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their fourth straight loss. They were dealt a 86-42 defeat at the hands of Altamonte Christian. Ocala Christian was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 57-24.
Despite the defeat, Ocala Christian saw an underclassman step up: Amari Gordon scored 18 points along with five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Gordon scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Jeremy Carillo, who scored ten points.
Ocala Christian struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Altamonte Christian pulled down 12 offensive rebounds.
It was another big night for Vincent Lee, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds for Altamonte Christian. Lee hasn't dropped below two blocks for three straight games. Ryan Almeda was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five assists and three steals.
Ocala Christian has not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Altamonte Christian, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ocala Christian will take on Cornerstone Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Allowing an average of 62.3 points per game, Cornerstone Academy has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this matchup. As for Altamonte Christian, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Bishop Moore at 7:30 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (Bishop Moore is ranked 226th, while Altamonte Christian is ranked 248th).
