Basketball Game Preview: Choctawhatchee Indians vs. Niceville Eagles

Choctawhatchee and Niceville are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2020, but not for long. The Choctawhatchee Indians will be playing in front of their home fans against the Niceville Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Choctawhatchee is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They strolled past Mosley with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 66-52. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 154th, while the Dolphins are ranked 376th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Niceville posted their biggest victory since November 25, 2024 on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Navarre 60-33. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.

Choctawhatchee better keep an eye on Carson Fayard. She was instrumental in Niceville's win, dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten boards. The contest was Fayard's sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddie Miller, who posted eight points and four blocks.

Niceville has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.2 points per game. As for Choctawhatchee, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-8.

Choctawhatchee didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Niceville when the teams last played on Friday, but they still walked away with a 41-36 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Fayard, who had 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Choctawhatchee still be able to contain Fayard? There's only one way to find out.