Westwood hasn't had much luck against Jensen Beach recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Westwood Panthers will take on the Jensen Beach Falcons in a holiday battle at at 6:00 p.m. Jensen Beach took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Westwood, who comes in off a win.
While Westwood didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They managed a 49-43 win over John Carroll Catholic on Monday.
Westwood got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Te'Anaina Rivers out in front who posted 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Shanell Sullivan, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten steals.
Meanwhile, Jensen Beach entered their match against Centennial on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Jensen Beach was beaten by Centennial 65-38. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Falcons have suffered since February 14th.
Westwood will need focus on slowing down Ella Udzinski, one of several Jensen Beach players who made an impact when they last played. She put up four points. The dominant performance also gave Udzinski a new career-high in assists (three). Another player making a difference was Lizzie Fitzwater, who had 11 points and five steals.
Westwood has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for Jensen Beach, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Westwood has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jensen Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Westwood took a serious blow against Jensen Beach when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 50-17. Can Westwood avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
