Basketball Game Preview: Varela Vipers vs. Key West Conchs

The Varela Vipers and the Key West Conchs will face off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest, having both just played. Varela knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine matchups -- so hopefully Key West likes a good challenge.

Varela's tournament run continued when they took on Marathon on Friday. The Vipers managed a 69-65 win over the Dolphins. Given the Vipers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 269th, while the Dolphins are ranked 591st) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Key West). They walked away with a 79-68 victory over Mater Brickell Academy on Friday.

Varela better keep an eye on James Osborne. He was instrumental in Key West's win, shooting 71% from the field en route to 33 points in addition to eight rebounds and seven assists. Thanks to that strong game, Osborne now owns an excellent 46.9% field goal percentage. Another player making a difference was Leandro Batista, who posted 11 points and eight boards.

Key West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.

Key West has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.4 points over those games. As for Varela, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.