Basketball Game Preview: Estero Wildcats vs. Ida Baker Bulldogs

The Estero Wildcats will venture away from home to face off against the Ida Baker Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Estero has five straight victories, Ida Baker has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Estero is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Riverdale 62-24. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 167th, while the Raiders are ranked 614th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Amiya Lewis, who went 16 for 27 on her way to 37 points and eight rebounds. Her morning made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordyn Vaill, who posted nine points.

Estero smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in 12 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Ida Baker had to suffer through a 48-19 loss at the hands of Babcock.

Estero's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Ida Baker, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-10.

Things could have been worse for Estero, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 49-34 loss to Ida Baker when the teams last played back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ida Baker's Maia Berdebes, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 15 boards. Now that Estero knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.