Basketball Game Preview: Indian River Braves vs. Lakeland Cavaliers

Having just played yesterday, the Indian River Braves will head out on the road to face off against the Lakeland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lakeland took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Indian River, who comes in off a win.

On Thursday, Indian River blew past Landstown, posting a 71-35 win. The Braves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Lakeland was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They came up short against Western Branch, falling 62-37.

Indian River will have to keep a close watch on Aubrianna Paiz and Janae Carter, a pair of players who had a big impact on Lakeland's prior game. Paiz went 6-for-9 to rack up 17 points and four steals, while Carter posted 17 points in addition to six rebounds and six blocks. With that strong performance, Carter is now averaging an impressive 2.2 blocks per game.

The victory made it two in a row for Indian River and bumps their season record up to 11-8. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32 points. As for Lakeland, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-15.

Everything went Indian River's way against Lakeland in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as Indian River made off with a 25-4 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Indian River since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.