Basketball Game Preview: Merritt Island Mustangs vs. Palm Bay Pirates

Merritt Island hasn't had much luck against Palm Bay recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Merritt Island Mustangs will face off against the Palm Bay Pirates. One thing working in Merritt Island's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.

Merritt Island fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Satellite on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 76-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Scorpions. The Mustangs were up 41-25 in the second quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

Meanwhile, Palm Bay also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Hagerty by a score of 65-54. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 428th, while the Huskies are ranked 191st).

Merritt Island will have to keep a close watch on Deuel ?Junior? Fider and Elijah Buffong, a pair of players who had a big impact on Palm Bay's prior game. Fider posted 14 points, while Buffong earned 14 points. Ryann Brown was another key player, putting up eight points.

This is the second loss in a row for Palm Bay and nudges their season record down to 9-13. As for Merritt Island, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 9-13.

Merritt Island took a serious blow against Palm Bay in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 85-24. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Merritt Island was down 50-18.