Basketball Game Preview: Florence Huskies vs. James Irwin Jaguars

The Florence Huskies will take on the James Irwin Jaguars at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Florence is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Fountain Valley on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Florence lost 61-39 to Fountain Valley. The Huskies were down 49-29 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Jaret Lozano

Points (Career)

02/25/25 vs Fountain Valley	22
12/17/24 vs Pueblo Centennial	20
02/05/25 @ St. Mary's	19
01/08/25 vs Buena Vista	19
02/06/24 @ Woodland Park	19

Despite the defeat, Florence got top-tier performance from Jaret Lozano, who posted 22 points and seven boards. The dominant performance gave Lozano a new career-high in points. Noah Howard was another key player, putting up nine points along with six rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, James Irwin was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their tenth straight loss. They were outmatched by Village and fell 66-31.

Florence will need to focus on slowing down Jonathan Kimble, one of several James Irwin players who made an impact when they last played. He had eight points and 11 boards.

James Irwin's defeat dropped their record down to 2-18. As for Florence, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost ten of their last 12 contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Florence has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like James Irwin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Florence against James Irwin in their previous meeting back in January, as the squad secured a 49-20 win. Does Florence have another victory up their sleeve, or will James Irwin turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.