Jensen Beach and Sebastian River are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2015, but not for long. The Jensen Beach Falcons will square off against the Sebastian River Sharks at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Jensen Beach is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Okeechobee 57-4. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 87th, while the Brahmans are ranked 421st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jensen Beach can attribute much of their success to Lizzie Fitzwater, who posted 12 points along with six assists and six steals. Another player making a difference was Natalie Tobiasz, who earned eight points and five rebounds.
Jensen Beach smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Sebastian River waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They were the clear victor by a 55-33 margin over the Jaguars.
Sebastian River's win came from a few key players Jensen Beach will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Davione Stinson, who went 6 for 10 on her way to 17 points and three steals. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Destiny Pickard was another key player, putting up 12 points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Jensen Beach has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.2 points per game. As for Sebastian River, their record is now 16-5.
Saturday's game will pit two of the most dominant centers against one another: Jayla Brinkley and E'Mani Pryor. Brinkley has been dynamite this season: she has averaged 9.6 points and 2.6 steals. For her part, Pryor has averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 boards, and 1.2 steals.
Jensen Beach didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Sebastian River in their previous matchup back in January, but they still walked away with a 58-52 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Pryor, who went 11 of 15 en route to 24 points and seven rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Jensen Beach still be able to contain Pryor? There's only one way to find out.
