Basketball Game Preview: Varela Vipers vs. Palmetto Panthers

The Varela Vipers will venture away from home to take on the Palmetto Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither Varela nor Palmetto posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.

Varela is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Jackson just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Wednesday. The game between them and the Generals didn't end well, with Varela falling 36-22.

Meanwhile, Palmetto had to suffer through a 68-21 loss at the hands of Palmer Trinity. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 283rd, while the Falcons are ranked 99th).

This is the second loss in a row for Palmetto and nudges their season record down to 5-6. As for Varela, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-3.

Varela was taken down by Palmetto 59-8 in their previous meeting back in January of 2021. Thankfully for Varela, Olivia Rapp (who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 15 assists, and ten steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.