Basketball Game Preview: Leesburg Yellow Jackets vs. Horizon Hawks

The Leesburg Yellow Jackets will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Horizon Hawks at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Wednesday, the stars were shining brightly for Leesburg in a 57-42 win over Apopka. Given the Yellow Jackets' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 76th, while the Blue Darters are ranked 388th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Horizon came tearing into Wednesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 43.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Falcons 63-39. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 24 points or more this season.

Leesburg better keep an eye on Zoe Corjay. She was instrumental in Horizon's win, going 8 of 17 on her way to 19 points and six steals. The dominant performance gave Corjay a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Sofia Duque, who posted 11 points.

Horizon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matches.

Horizon's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 21.8 points per game. As for Leesburg, the win got them back to even at 4-4.