Lakewood Ranch was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a hard 90-72 fall against the Manatee Hurricanes. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 593rd, while the Hurricanes are ranked 256th).
| 01/14/25 vs Manatee | 30 |
| 12/01/23 vs Gulf Coast | 22 |
| 12/10/24 vs Braden River | 21 |
| 11/26/24 @ Riverview Sarasota | 19 |
| 01/31/24 @ Bayshore | 17 |
Lakewood Ranch's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Liam Scalzo, who went 10 for 21 on his way to 30 points and five boards. Those 30 points gave Scalzo a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Wes Henry, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Lakewood Ranch was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Manatee got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Keith Fields out in front who almost dropped a triple-double on 18 points, nine boards, and nine assists. Fields is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 18 games he's played. Detmer Steffensen was another key player, going 6 of 12 en route to 17 points and three steals.
Lakewood Ranch's defeat dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Manatee, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 11-8.
Lakewood Ranch has already played their next match, a 55-42 loss against Parrish Community on the 16th. As for Manatee, they will head out to take on Palmetto at 7:30 p.m. on January 21st.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
