Preview: Sumner Stingrays vs. Riverview Sharks
Sumner is 3-0 against Riverview since February of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The two teams will face off at 6:30 p.m. on December 15th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Sumner focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Tuesday.
Sumner struggled with assists on Tuesday (Plant City had ten more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Sumner fell 57-47 to Plant City. While losing is never fun, Sumner can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 335th, while Plant City is ranked 76th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Sean Chaplin, who scored 11 points along with three steals. Those 11 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Jacob Douglas, who scored 13 points.
Riverview can finally bid farewell to their eight-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Wednesday. They enjoyed a cozy 68-53 victory over Strawberry Crest. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Riverview has managed all season.
Sumner's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Riverview, their victory ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-7.
Everything came up roses for Sumner against Riverview in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 63-21 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sumner since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
