Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Bartow couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They lost 73-50 to the Evans Trojans on Monday. While losing is never fun, the Yellow Jackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Trojans are ranked ninth).
Despite the loss, Bartow saw an underclassman step up: freshman James Ratteree on his way to 14 points and four steals. That's the most steals Ratteree has posted since back in December of 2024. Messiah Borders was another key player, putting up five points.
Evans got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Arosco Dubois out in front who earned 16 points along with five assists and four steals. Dubois' big performance that evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Jedd Maurvais also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Bartow's defeat dropped their record down to 20-9. As for Evans, they have been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-6 record this season.
Bartow does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Evans, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 77-72 victory against Edgewater on the 20th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
