Basketball Preview: Palm Beach Gardens Gators vs. Vero Beach Indians
The Palm Beach Gardens Gators will square off against the Vero Beach Indians at TBD on Wednesday. Hopefully Palm Beach Gardens is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Indians in Florida (the Gators are ranked 36th, while the Indians are ranked 175th).
Palm Beach Gardens unfortunately witnessed the end of their 11-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 52-44 to Dwyer.
The losing side was boosted by Kyana Poitier, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 15 rebounds. Latasha Whyte was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Vero Beach rose to the challenge on Monday. They walked away with a 49-38 win over the Rams.
Vero Beach's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Amiyah Rodgers, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds and three steals. It was the first time this season that Rodgers scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Ekklesia Anderson, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds.
Palm Beach Gardens' defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 19-3. As for Vero Beach, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's match: Palm Beach Gardens have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.9% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Vero Beach, though, as they've only made 29.3% of their threes this season. Given Palm Beach Gardens' sizable advantage in that area, the Indians will need to find a way to close that gap.
Palm Beach Gardens came out on top in a nail-biter against the Indians when the teams last played back in February of 2023, sneaking past 44-42. Does Palm Beach Gardens have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Indians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
