The Sylva Bay Academy Saints will take on the DeSoto Thunderbirds at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sylva Bay Academy heads in on the heels of a playoff contest on Saturday. They fell just short of Newton County Academy by a score of 46-43. The loss continues a trend for the Saints in their matchups with the Generals: they've now lost seven in a row.
Sydney Poole
| 02/08/25 vs Newton County Academy | 8 |
| 02/06/25 vs Lamar Christian | 1 |
| 02/04/25 vs Franklin Academy | 2 |
| 01/31/25 vs Laurel Christian | 4 |
| 01/28/25 vs Discovery Christian | 4 |
| + 15 more games |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Sydney Poole, who posted nine points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals. That's the most boards she has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Livy Shumock, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, DeSoto waltzed into their game on Saturday with 12 straight wins... but they left with 13. They strolled past the Blue Devils with points to spare, taking the game 49-35. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 71st in Arkansas, while the Blue Devils are ranked 235th in Mississippi), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
DeSoto's win came from a few key players Sylva Bay Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kylee Jo Holder, who went 5 of 10 to rack up 10 points along with six boards and three steals. She has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last nine times she's played. Allie Reynolds was another key player, putting up eight points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
DeSoto smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive matchups.
Sylva Bay Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 14-13. As for DeSoto, their victory bumped their record up to 31-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sylva Bay Academy has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.3 boards per game. However, it's not like DeSoto struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
