Basketball Preview: Venice Indians vs. Winter Haven Blue Devils
The Venice Indians will challenge the Winter Haven Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Venice comes in on ten and Winter Haven on 16.
Venice is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Haines City 54-52.
Zoe O'Leary
| 02/18/25 vs Haines City | 3 |
| 02/13/25 vs Palm Harbor University | 4 |
| 02/08/25 vs Riverview Sarasota | 3 |
| 02/06/25 vs North Port | 5 |
| 01/29/25 @ IMG Academy Blue | 3 |
| + 13 more games |
Venice relied on the efforts of Tessa Oleary, who went 7-for-17 en route to 28 points in addition to five assists and five boards, and Zoe O'Leary, who posted ten points along with eight rebounds and three steals. O'Leary is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in each of the last 18 games she's played. Addison Ivery was another key player, putting up five points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Winter Haven). They blew past Riverview Sarasota, posting an 89-35 win. The Blue Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 contests by 20 points or more this season.
Winter Haven's win came from a few key players Venice will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Quin'Nya Gray De Sanders, who went 7-for-9 to rack up 14 points and eight steals. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in shooting accuracy (78%). Another player making a difference was Serenity Hardy, who went 7-for-14 on her way to 20 points and three steals.
Winter Haven 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 four consecutive matches.
Venice's record is now 19-5. As for Winter Haven, their record now sits at 24-2.
Things could have been worse for Venice, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 60-46 loss to Winter Haven in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Venice avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
