The Port St. Lucie Jaguars will head out on the road to face off against the Jensen Beach Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Port St. Lucie is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Central on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Port St. Lucie had to suffer through a 70-31 loss at the hands of Central. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 422nd, while the Cobras are ranked 125th).
The losing side was boosted by Alijah Baez, who posted eight points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ilisha Johnson, who put up four points.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Jensen Beach duked it out withMorningside Academy on Tuesday. Jensen Beach enjoyed a cozy 52-38 win over Morningside Academy. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons.
Jensen Beach's win came from a few key players Port St. Lucie will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ethan Ashong, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln Campo, who had eight points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Jensen Beach smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Morningside Academy only pulled down eight offensive boards.
Jensen Beach is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-6 record this season. As for Port St. Lucie, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Port St. Lucie has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jensen Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Port St. Lucie came up short against Jensen Beach when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 62-50. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Jensen Beach's Vari Newson, who went 6 of 12 on his way to 17 points and three steals. Now that Port St. Lucie knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
