The Springstead Eagles will face off against the Vanguard Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Springstead is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last seven games.
Springstead is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Nature Coast Tech: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Eagles blew the Sharks out of the water with a 53-19 final score. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 21 points or more this season.
Springstead found their leader in sophomore Ariana Willoughby, who shot 55% from the field en route to 18 points and five boards. Michelle Ramirez-Hoyos was another key player, putting up ten points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Springstead smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Vanguard played in-conference for the first time on Monday and got just the result they were looking for. They took down Lecanto 55-36.
Vanguard's win came from a few key players that Springstead will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kenaria Dowdy, who posted eight points and 11 boards. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 8.1 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Saniya Kendrick, who went 6-for-14 on her way to 12 points.
Vanguard now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Springstead, their victory bumped their record up to 20-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Springstead has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Vanguard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Springstead against Vanguard in their previous meeting back in January, as the team secured a 53-22 win. In that game, the Eagles amassed a halftime lead of 28-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Wednesday.
