West Florida is 2-8 against Fort Walton Beach since December of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The West Florida Jaguars' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Fort Walton Beach Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on January 26th. West Florida 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 229th, while Fort Walton Beach is ranked 69th).
Last Tuesday, West Florida lost to Pensacola on the road by a decisive 61-43 margin.
Despite their loss, West Florida saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Amani (AB) Bartholomew, who scored nine points along with nine rebounds and five assists, was perhaps the best of all. Bartholomew is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last ten games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nylah Brooks, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Ponce De Leon typically has all the answers at home, but on Thursday Fort Walton Beach proved too difficult a challenge. They strolled past the Pirates with points to spare, taking the game 41-26.
Fort Walton Beach found their leader in underclassman SaRuan Newton, who scored 21 points along with three steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Newton has scored at least a third of Fort Walton Beach's points. Adaysha Holliness was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with ten rebounds.
West Florida dropped their record down to 7-15 with that defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for Fort Walton Beach, their victory bumped their record up to 12-8.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Bartholomew and Newton. Bartholomew has been dynamite this season: she has averaged 15 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2 steals. For her part, Newton has averaged 14.8 points.
West Florida suffered a grim 64-43 defeat to Fort Walton Beach when the teams last played back in November of 2022. Thankfully for West Florida, Shameir Quimby (who scored 23 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
