It was a good run, but the Braden River Pirates unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 56-55 to Bradenton Christian. Braden River was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Bradenton Christian apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played two weeks ago.
Braden River's loss came despite strong showings from Isaac Heaven and Marcus Schade. Heaven dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Schade scored 21 points along with seven rebounds. Schade scored a full 38.2% of Braden River's points, the seventh time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Jacobi Murray was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Braden River's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Bradenton Christian, their victory was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Braden River and Lakewood Ranch will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 8th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Lakewood Ranch will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 269th, while Braden River is ranked 108th). As for Bradenton Christian, they will head out on the road to face off against Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences at 7:00 p.m. on January 8th.
