The Port St. Lucie Jaguars came tearing into Tuesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 62-54 victory over Merritt Island. Given Port St. Lucie's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 145th, while Merritt Island is ranked 552nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Port St. Lucie to victory were Ryan Rodriguez and Makhari Chambliss. Rodriguez scored 20 points along with five rebounds and three steals, while Chambliss scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. The contest was Rodriguez's 11th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jekhi Jackson`, who scored four points.
Port St. Lucie's win bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Merritt Island, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-9.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Port St. Lucie will face off against Tradition Prep at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Merritt Island will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on St. Cloud at 7:30 p.m. on January 5, 2024.
