Preview: South Sumter Raiders vs. Weeki Wachee Hornets
The South Sumter Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Weeki Wachee Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. South Sumter is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.
Last Thursday, South Sumter was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 28-24 to Tavares.
Weeki Wachee has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 29 points or more this season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Crystal River 69-27 on the road. Given Weeki Wachee's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 194th, while Crystal River is ranked 404th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Weeki Wachee's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Paige Atwater, who scored 20 points. Atwater is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last six games she's played. Joelys Rodriguez was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five assists and five steals.
South Sumter's defeat was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 2-5. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 21.3 points per game. As for Weeki Wachee, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
South Sumter couldn't quite finish off Weeki Wachee in their previous matchup back in January of 2022 and fell 42-40. Can South Sumter avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
