After flying high against the Orlando Science Orcas last Wednesday, the Crooms Academy Panthers came back down to earth. Crooms Academy fell just short of First Baptist Christian Academy by a score of 59-56. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Crooms Academy's loss on Friday came despite strong showings from Jayden Aristile and D'Elio Cestero. Aristile scored 19 points along with nine rebounds and four steals, while Cestero scored 16 points along with six rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Julian Gill, who scored four points.
First Baptist Christian Academy found their leader in underclassman Jayden McCoy, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. McCoy is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. Solomon Williams was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Crooms Academy has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season. As for First Baptist Christian Academy, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 7-3.
Crooms Academy will stay at home for another game and welcome Orlando Science at 7:00 p.m. on January 22nd. Orlando Science is hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses. As for First Baptist Christian Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against Warner Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.
