The Irondale Knights's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They received a tough blow as they fell 68-54 to Forest Lake. While losing is never fun, Irondale can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Minnesota basketball rankings (they are ranked 301st, while Forest Lake is ranked 87th).
Jake Dedominces and Cameron Cramble certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Dedominces scored 25 points along with two steals, while Cramble dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds. That was a full 46.3% of Irondale's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Tahir Paye-baker, who scored three points along with eight rebounds.
Irondale bumped their record down to 2-11 with that loss, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Forest Lake, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Irondale will take on Roseville at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Roseville knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three contests -- so hopefully Irondale likes a good challenge. As for Forest Lake, they will head out on the road to square off against East Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. East Ridge has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 860 points over their last 12 matchups.
