Basketball Game Preview: South Dade Buccaneers vs. Palmer Trinity Falcons

The South Dade Buccaneers will head out to challenge the Palmer Trinity Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

South Dade is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by Braddock to the tune of 66-34 on Wednesday. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Buccaneers had established a 28 point advantage.

Justice Sheppard

Points (Career)

01/29/25 @ Braddock	20
12/18/24 @ Coral Park	19
11/18/24 vs Coral Reef	17
12/13/24 @ Coral Reef	16
12/21/24 vs Golden Gate	14

South Dade's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Justice Sheppard, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten boards. Those 20 points gave Sheppard a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jurnee Walters, who posted 20 points along with six rebounds and five steals.

South Dade was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Palmer Trinity got the win against Gulliver Prep on Saturday by a conclusive 71-45. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Raiders are ranked 295th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Palmer Trinity's win came from a few key players South Dade will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sofia Laria, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten boards. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Emma Esparza, who earned eight points in addition to nine assists and seven steals.

South Dade's record is now 8-10. As for Palmer Trinity, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: South Dade has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 38.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Palmer Trinity struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.