Basketball Recap: Land O' Lakes Comes Up Short

While it was all tied up 20-20 at halftime, Land O' Lakes was not quite Wiregrass Ranch's equal in the second half on Tuesday. They fell to the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls 45-39. The Gators were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bulls apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.

Despite the loss, Land O' Lakes saw an underclassman step up: freshman Jessi Saffold went 10 for 24 on her way to 23 points in addition to eight steals and six rebounds. The dominant performance gave Saffold a new career-high in points.

Even though they lost, Land O' Lakes smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.

Wiregrass Ranch's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Andralee Keim, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine boards. Keim has been hot, having also posted three or more steals the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Marley Campbell, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds.

Land O' Lakes has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-11 record this season. As for Wiregrass Ranch, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-7.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Land O' Lakes won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Fivay at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Land O' Lakes is facing Fivay at the right time seeing as Fivay is stuck on a three-game losing streak. Wiregrass Ranch has already played their next match (against Mitchell), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.