Escambia and Pensacola are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Escambia Gators will head out on the road to face off against the Pensacola Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
On Thursday, Escambia ended up a good deal behind Gulf Breeze and lost 63-44. The defeat continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Dolphins: they've now lost four in a row.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Roycen Jones, who posted 12 points. Another player making a difference was Hampton Brasfield, who put up ten points.
Even though they lost, Escambia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Pensacola was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a hard 65-47 fall against Gulf Breeze. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 466th, while the Dolphins are ranked 68th).
Escambia will have to keep a close watch on Jamarcuz Fountain and Antoine Fomond, a pair of players who had a big impact on Pensacola's prior game. Fountain had 12 points and eight assists, while Fomond earned eight points and seven rebounds. The dominant performance gave Fountain a new career-high in assists. Rupert Sproles was another key player, putting up eight points.
Escambia's record now sits at 3-12. As for Pensacola, their record now sits at 4-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Escambia has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Pensacola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 21.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Escambia took their win against Pensacola in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 53-32. The rematch might be a little tougher for Escambia since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
