Without their key big man, the boys’ varsity basketball team lost to Merritt Island 37-56 and dropped to a 1-7 record on the regular season. They were missing junior center Jake Dimond, who is averaging a double-double, so the Cats didn’t have their usual offensive prowess. In his absence, the Cats were led by senior forward Sam Lack who had 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Lack chimed in on Jake Dimond’s absence and its effect on the team.

“We were missing our big man and obviously that was a disadvantage going in. Defensively, we played well and gave a pretty good effort. We couldn’t even execute remotely on offense, and our inability to get good shots doomed us,” said Lack.

The timetable for Dimond’s back injury indicates that he will return in time for the Cats to host the Cocoa Tigers Thursday at 7 p.m.