Basketball Game Preview: Avon Park Red Devils vs. Discovery Spartans

The Avon Park Red Devils are taking a road trip to face off against the Discovery Spartans at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Avon Park is coming into the match hot, having won their last 15 games.

On Tuesday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Avon Park beat Moore Haven 61-57. Given the Red Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 204th, while the Terriers are ranked 437th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Avon Park's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Christopher Kelly, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 boards. Kelly has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more rebounds the last 13 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tayvion Jones, who posted 12 points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Discovery, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They walked away with a 71-64 victory over Lakeland on Tuesday.

Discovery has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. As for Avon Park, their win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-1.

Avon Park was dealt a bruising 73-33 loss at the hands of Discovery in their previous matchup back in December of 2020. Can Avon Park avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.