Preview: Spring Lions vs. Willis Wildkats
Spring is 4-0 against Willis since November of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The two teams will round out the year against one another at 10:00 a.m. at. Spring will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Even though Spring has not done well against Fort Bend Travis recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Spring secured a 51-45 W over Fort Bend Travis. Given Spring's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 241st, while Fort Bend Travis is ranked 635th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Spring's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Za'Kenya Thompson led the charge by scoring 17 points. The game was Thompson's seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jada Thomas, who scored 14 points.
Meanwhile, after only 23 points in their last matchup, Willis made sure to put some points up on the board against Caney Creek on Monday. Willis walked away with a 55-46 win over Caney Creek.
Willis' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Amy Roberts, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds, and Nija Calyen, who scored 21 points along with six rebounds. Those six rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. Sofia Dominguez was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Spring pushed their record up to 14-5 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points per game. As for Willis, their win bumped their record up to 3-15.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Spring have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 21.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Willis, though, as they've been averaging only 32.2 rebounds per game. Given Spring's sizeable advantage in that area, Willis will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Spring against Willis in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 59-22 win. With Spring ahead 30-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
