Preview: Ida Baker Bulldogs vs. Island Coast Gators
After two games on the road, Ida Baker is heading back home. They will take on the Island Coast Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Ida Baker focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 on Monday.
Last Monday, Ida Baker earned a 44-36 victory over Riverdale. The win was just what Ida Baker needed coming off of a 58-33 loss in their prior game.
Ida Baker can attribute much of their success to Maia Berdebes, who scored 13 points along with five assists and five rebounds, and Julianna Nieves, who scored nine points along with 16 rebounds and five steals. Nieves hasn't dropped below two steals for eight straight games. Another player making a difference was Alexandra Reuss, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Island Coast's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight loss. They were beaten by Gateway 76-9. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Island Coast has scored all season.
Despite the loss, Island Coast saw an underclassman step up: Samarrah Desir scored eight points.
Ida Baker has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. As for Island Coast, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost eight of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's matchup: Ida Baker have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4.2 threes per game. It's a different story for Island Coast, though, as they've been averaging only 0.3 threes per game. Given Ida Baker's sizeable advantage in that area, Island Coast will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Ida Baker against Island Coast when the teams last played on January 4th as the team secured a 54-13 win. Does Ida Baker have another victory up their sleeve, or will Island Coast turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
