The Springstead Eagles and the Wharton Wildcats will round out the year against one another at at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It was a Battle of the Birds when Springstead faced off against Fivay on Friday. Springstead took their matchup with ease, bagging a 51-22 win over Fivay. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 25 points or more this season.
| 12/06/23 vs Nature Coast Tech | 7 |
| 12/19/23 vs Crystal River | 7 |
| 01/04/24 @ Vanguard | 7 |
| 12/20/24 @ Fivay | 6 |
| 12/22/23 vs Fivay | 6 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Springstead to victory, but perhaps none more so than J'Ziyah Munford, who posted seven points and six steals. That's the most steals Munford has posted since back in January. Briana Coleman was another key player, putting up eight points and six rebounds.
Springstead was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fivay only racked up four assists.
Meanwhile, Wharton didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Tampa Bay Tech last Friday, but they still walked away with a 56-51 victory. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while the Titans are ranked 391st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wharton's win came from a few key players Springstead will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kaytee Tyler, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 13 points and seven rebounds. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Syrenna Thigpen, who had eight points and 18 boards.
Wharton pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.6 points per game. As for Springstead, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Springstead has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Wharton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
