Our Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Friday, January 19 is Jimmy Johnson of the Eastside (Gainesville) boys basketball team.
Johnson tied for a game-high with 18 points, including four three pointers in the first half, as Eastside broke a 6-game losing streak to rival Gainesville with a convincing 73-53 win at Santa Fe College on Friday night.
Johnson, a senior, was one of four Eastside players to hit three pointers in the opening period as the Rams (13-4) jumped out to a 22-10 lead after the opening period. Gainesville (14-5) never got the deficit under double digits after that.
Johnson hit three shots behind the arc in the second quarter and Eastside hit eight treys in the opening half and led the Hurricanes 42-22 at the half.
Gainesville never got closer than 16 points in the second half. Johnson scored six points in the fourth quarter, including four straight free throws after a technical foul against Christian Miller-Cardwell of Gainesville.
Noah Richardson added 18 points and Anthony Richardson added 10 as Eastside beat Gainesville for the first time since 2014.
Eastside broke a two-game losing streak and gets right back to action Saturday night in a non-district matchup at Bradford (Starke).
Gainesville was led in scoring by Jaden McKay and Diamond Smith with 10 points apiece. Miller-Cardwell, who leads the Hurricanes in scoring averaging 19 points a game, managed only two points on Friday night.
The Hurricanes will return to the court on Tuesday as they host Forest (Ocala) in a District 4-7A contest.
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
