The Springfield Yellow Jackets will take on the Northeast Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Springfield is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 59 points last Tuesday, they were much more limited against Clarksville on Tuesday. They came up short against the Wildcats, falling 46-25. The contest marked the Yellow Jackets' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite their defeat, Springfield saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Shemauria Pope, who posted five points, was perhaps the best of all.
Even though they lost, Springfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Northeast was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They lost 61-40 to Clarksville Academy. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 359th, while the Cougars are ranked 140th).
Springfield will have to keep a close watch on Qimara Summers and Rianna Rourk, a pair of players who had a big impact on Northeast's prior game. Summers had 25 points along with seven boards and three steals, while Rourk scored eight points in addition to four blocks and three steals. That was a full 62.5% of Northeast's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Northeast's defeat dropped their record down to 2-13. As for Springfield, their loss dropped their record down to 10-7.
Everything came up roses for Springfield against Northeast in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 73-37 win. In that matchup, Springfield amassed a halftime lead of 43-20, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
