Preview: Tocoi Creek Toros vs. Nease Panthers
Tocoi Creek has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Nease Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tocoi Creek will be strutting in after a victory while Nease will be coming in after a loss.
Last Friday, Tocoi Creek was able to grind out a solid victory over Bartram Trail, taking the game 49-42. Given Tocoi Creek's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while Bartram Trail is ranked 327th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tocoi Creek's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Audrey Beyer led the charge by scoring 13 points along with six rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jasmine Valcin, who scored eight points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Nease came up short against Ponte Vedra on Thursday and fell 48-38.
Despite their loss, Nease saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Casey Eliason, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Eliason has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Sage Pytel, who scored 13 points.
Tocoi Creek has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for Nease, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.
Tocoi Creek might still be hurting after the 59-36 loss they got from Nease when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Can Tocoi Creek avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
