Basketball Game Preview: Durant Cougars vs. George Jenkins Eagles

The Durant Cougars will face off against the George Jenkins Eagles on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Durant is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Strawberry Crest, posting a 58-6 victory. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 244th, while the Chargers are ranked 618th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, George Jenkins waltzed into their game on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 50-24 win.

Durant better focus on containing Taleah Turner and Zakharia Rutledge as the pair were huge in George Jenkins' win. Turner dropped a double-double on 13 points and 15 boards, while Rutledge posted 13 points and five rebounds. What's more, Turner also racked up seven steals, the most she's had since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ivelisse Orengo, who had nine points.

George Jenkins smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

George Jenkins has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.0 points per game. As for Durant, their record now sits at 15-9.

Durant beat George Jenkins 43-36 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Does Durant have another victory up their sleeve, or will George Jenkins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.