Basketball Game Preview: Milton Panthers vs. Crestview Bulldogs

Milton and Crestview are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Milton Panthers will host the Crestview Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Milton is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 76-45 victory over Pine Forest. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 20 points or more this season.

Milton's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sergio Robinson, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 15 points and eight steals. Robinson is becoming a predictor of Milton's success: when he posts at least three steals the team is 9-3 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Mateo Robinson, who went 8 of 11 on his way to 20 points and seven rebounds.

Milton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pine Forest only pulled down eight offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Crestview entered their tilt with Niceville on Tuesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They beat the Eagles by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 60-47. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 87th, while the Eagles are ranked 214th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Crestview pushed their record up to 12-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points per game. As for Milton, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-5.

Milton was able to grind out a solid victory over Crestview in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 55-48. Does Milton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Crestview turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.