The Saint Andrew's Scots struggled with offensive rebounds on Thursday (the Pine Crest Panthers had ten more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Saint Andrew's fell to Pine Crest 50-46. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Saint Andrew's of the 50-38 loss they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture back in December of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Saint Andrew's lost, one person who can't be blamed is Emma Smith. Despite the final result, she scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Smith has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last six times she's played. Bret Marbach was another key contributor, scoring two points along with nine assists and three steals.
Pine Crest's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isabella M sangha, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which M sangha has scored at least a third of Pine Crest's points. Another player making a difference was Alicia Marzouca, who scored 12 points along with seven steals and six rebounds.
Saint Andrew's loss dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Pine Crest, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-4.
Saint Andrew's will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Westminster Academy at 6:00 p.m. on January 30th. Westminster Academy presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Saint Andrew's in Florida (Westminster Academy is ranked 31st, while Saint Andrew's is ranked 184th). As for Pine Crest, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against West Boca Raton at 5:30 p.m. West Boca Raton has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since January 4.
