Basketball Game Preview: Palatka Panthers vs. Menendez Falcons

Palatka hasn't had much luck against Menendez recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Palatka Panthers just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Menendez Falcons at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Palatka took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 42-33 victory over Matanzas.

Meanwhile, Menendez had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They blew past the Pirates 61-27. The Falcons pushed the score to 51-24 by the end of the third, a deficit the Pirates had little chance of recovering from.

Palatka better keep an eye on Sophia Scibelli. She was instrumental in Menendez's win, putting up 27 points along with eight steals and seven rebounds. Scibelli's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jakayla Newsome, who posted 19 points and five steals.

Menendez was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.

Menendez pushed their record up to 13-7 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.7 points per game. As for Palatka, their record now sits at 8-10.

Things could have been worse for Palatka, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 31-13 loss to Menendez when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can Palatka avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.