Two dominant guards in Nevaeh Lee and Skylar Payne are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Seffner Christian Crusaders will challenge the Sports Leadership & Management Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Seffner Christian against Bayshore Christian as the team secured a 53-7 win. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 23 points or more this season.
| 01/07/25 @ Bayshore Christian | 7 |
| 12/19/24 vs Winthrop College Prep Academy | 4 |
| 12/17/24 vs Lakeland | 9 |
| 12/16/24 @ Indian Rocks Christian | 12 |
| 12/13/24 vs Bolles | 3 |
Seffner Christian's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lee, who posted nine points in addition to seven assists and seven steals. Lee is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last eight games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kendra Yates, who made all 6 shots she took to post 13 points and three steals.
Lee wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Seffner Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Sports Leadership & Management came into Wednesday's contest having lost five straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They breezed by Universal Academy to the tune of 59-7 on Wednesday. That looming 59-7 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Spartans yet this season.
Seffner Christian better keep an eye on Payne. She was instrumental in Sports Leadership & Management's win, going 12 of 22 on her way to 31 points and eight steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Payne has scored at least a third of Sports Leadership & Management's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayrevelis Rivera, who put up six points in addition to ten boards and five steals.
Seffner Christian pushed their record up to 10-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points per game. As for Sports Leadership & Management, their record is now 4-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Seffner Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Sports Leadership & Management struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Seffner Christian against Sports Leadership & Management in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 56-21 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Seffner Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
