With a playoff win on the line, Baker rose to the challenge on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 55-52 victory over the Central Jaguars. That's the third time they've managed to beat them this season, with their most recent win being a 64-48 victory back in January.
Josh Bethel
| 02/05/26 vs Central | 20 |
| 01/29/26 vs Walton | 16 |
| 01/26/26 vs Crestview | 9 |
| 01/22/26 vs Jay | 6 |
| 01/20/26 @ Freeport | 11 |
| + 14 more games |
Baker can attribute much of their success to Josh Bethel, who posted 20 points. That's the most points Bethel has posted since back in November of 2025. Terrance Clausell was another key player, putting up 13 points.
When it comes to explaining why Central lost, don't look at Carson Baxley. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards. Baxley's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Carson Ellison, who scored 12 points and eight rebounds.
Baker's win bumped their record up to 16-8. As for Central, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 17-10.
Baker has already played their next game, a 45-43 loss against Paxton on the 7th. Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
