Florida State University High School and Marianna are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Florida State University High School Seminoles are on the road again on Saturday and plays the Marianna Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on February 10th. One thing working in Florida State University High School's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 14 games.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Florida State University High School walked away with it. They really took it to the Marauders for the full four quarters, racking up a 73-31 win on the road. Given Florida State University High School's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while Maclay is ranked 438th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Florida State University High School to victory, but perhaps none more so than Trey Card, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds. Card is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. The team also got some help courtesy of Dakota Morris, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Marianna came tearing into Thursday's game with 12 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past Rocky Bayou Christian 75-41 on the road. Marianna has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 23 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Tra'jan Spears, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 21 points and 4 assists. Another player making a difference was Mason Mobley, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Florida State University High School has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season. As for Marianna, their victory bumped their record up to 24-2.
Saturday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Florida State University High School have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 45.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Marianna struggles in that department as they've made 44.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Florida State University High School came up short against Marianna in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 81-71. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Spears, who scored 21 points along with three steals. Now that Florida State University High School knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
