Basketball Game Preview: Marianna Bulldogs vs. Ponce De Leon Pirates

Marianna is 0-7 against Ponce De Leon since December of 2019 but things could change on Wednesday. The Marianna Bulldogs just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Ponce De Leon Pirates at 1:00 p.m.

Marianna is headed into Wednesday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They were dealt a 68-37 loss at the hands of Holmes County. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 314th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 28th).

Despite the defeat, Marianna saw an underclassman step up: freshman Dessiah Gee went 10 of 21 on her way to 23 points. Those 23 points set a new season-high mark for Gee. The team also got some help courtesy of Ja'Shonna Mathis, who posted seven points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Ponce De Leon had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They blew past the Marlins, posting a 55-27 victory. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 28 points or more this season.

Marianna's loss dropped their record down to 6-9. As for Ponce De Leon, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season.

Marianna ended up a good deal behind Ponce De Leon when the teams last played back in January of 2023, losing 63-45. Can Marianna avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.