Basketball Recap: John Carroll Catholic Falls Despite Big Games from Micah Coleman and Joaquin Ruiz

John Carroll Catholic has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. The contest between them and the Central Cobras didn't end well, with the John Carroll Catholic Rams falling 64-45. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 312th, while the Cobras are ranked 113th).

Despite the defeat, John Carroll Catholic had strong showings from Joaquin Ruiz, who posted eight points and seven rebounds, and Micah Coleman, who put up nine points and six rebounds. That's the most points Coleman has posted since back in February of 2024. Brandon James was another key player, putting up eight points.

Even though they lost, John Carroll Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Central only pulled down seven offensive boards.

Central had a senior duo take command as Joseph Gayle went 12 of 16 on his way to 28 points and five rebounds and Christian Maxon went 8 of 12 on his way to 21 points along with five assists and five steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Gayle has scored at least a third of Central's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Christopher Maxon, who had six points and eight assists.

John Carroll Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Central, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 7-5.

John Carroll Catholic didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 61-42 win against St. Edward's on the 10th. As for Central, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 93-83 defeat against Centennial on the 10th.