The Kathleen Red Devils and the Bartow Yellow Jackets squared off in some playoff action on Tuesday, but sadly the Kathleen Red Devils had to settle for second. They lost to the Yellow Jackets on the road by a decisive 66-49 margin. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Kathleen in their matchups with Bartow: they've now lost six in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Kathleen lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jeremy Nixon. Despite the final result, he scored 17 points along with seven rebounds. Nixon is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last seven games he's played. Jaiziah Battle was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds.
Kathleen struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Bartow pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
Bartow's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Edward Wiggins, who scored 12 points along with seven blocks and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Rickjerlin Senior feliz, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Kathleen has traveled a rocky road recently having lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-20 record this season. As for Bartow, the win (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 17-9.
Kathleen does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Bartow, they will square off against St. Cloud at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Cloud has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
