Recap: Lakeland Dreadnaughts vs. Bartow Yellow Jackets
The Lakeland Dreadnaughts had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.6 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They rang in the new year with a 60-50 win over Bartow. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Lakeland also won the last time the pair played back in February of 2023.
Shanard Clower was the offensive standout of the contest as he scored 11 points along with seven assists and six steals. Another player making a difference was Jamesion Young, who scored 11 points.
Despite the loss, Bartow still got an impressive performance from Rickjerlin Senior feliz, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds. The contest was Senior feliz's third in a row with at least ten points. Kaleef Valentine was another key contributor, scoring seven points.
Lakeland pushed their record up to 7-1 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Bartow, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Lakeland won't have much time to rest: their next game is against George Jenkins at 7:30 p.m. on January 5th. George Jenkins has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 4. Bartow won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Lake Wales at 7:30 p.m. on January 5th. Lake Wales will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 540th, while Bartow is ranked 178th).
