The Southridge Spartans will square off against the River Ridge Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Southridge is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their contest on Monday with ease, bagging a 100-10 victory over Palmetto. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while the Panthers are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/13/25 vs Palmetto | 32 |
| 12/27/24 vs Bradley Central | 30 |
| 12/30/24 vs Woodward Academy | 26 |
| 01/10/25 vs Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart | 21 |
| 12/18/24 vs Sports Leadership & Management | 19 |
Southridge found their leader in sophomore Naya Hardisson, who dropped a double-double on 32 points and 12 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hardisson has scored all season. Dianka Hardisson was another key player, going 10 of 14 en route to 22 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.
Southridge was working as a unit and finished the game with 29 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, River Ridge came tearing into Friday's matchup with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Yellow Jackets to the tune of 72-38. With the Knights ahead 35-11 at the half, the game was all but over already.
River Ridge's win came from a few key players Southridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Makayla Roberson, who went 5 for 10 on her way to 15 points along with seven boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Finley Parker, who went 5 of 11 en route to 14 points and six rebounds.
River Ridge pushed their record up to 17-1 with the win, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.3 points. As for Southridge, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Southridge has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.5 boards per game. However, it's not like River Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
