Basketball Game Preview: Eustis Panthers vs. Vanguard Knights

The Eustis Panthers just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Vanguard Knights at 12:50 p.m. on Saturday. Eustis is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.9 points per game this season.

Eustis is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest defeat since February 10th on Friday. They fell just short of Williston by a score of 53-50. The contest marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Eustis' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Cornelius Hines, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Lomar Sparrow, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds. Hines is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last four games he's played. Timothy Key was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Vanguard unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of North Marion by a score of 52-49.

Eustis has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-4 record this season. As for Vanguard, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-4.

Eustis was able to grind out a solid win over Vanguard when the teams last played back in January of 2021, winning 67-54. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Vanguard's Aaron James Jr, who went 9 of 22 on his way to 31 points and four steals. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be easier for Eustis to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.