The Haines City Hornets will face off against the Sumner Stingrays at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Haines City knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 matches -- so hopefully Sumner likes a good challenge.
Haines City is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They blew past Celebration, posting a 77-41 win. The Hornets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 contests by 20 points or more this season.
Haines City's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zebrielle Canaday, who posted 11 points along with seven steals and six assists. What's more, Canaday also posted a 60% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest she's posted since back in December of 2024. Delissa Morris was another key player, going 5 of 11 en route to 11 points in addition to seven assists and seven steals.
Haines City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 27 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Sumner was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 55-49 to Palm Harbor University. While the Stingrays didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Hurricanes 22-17 in the first quarter.
Haines City will have to contain Mariah Farmer as she made an impact in Sumner's last game. She had 19 points and seven rebounds. Farmer continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Briana Gill-Guyette, who put up 12 points and three steals.
Haines City's win was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-5. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.3 points over those games. As for Sumner, their loss dropped their record down to 16-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Haines City has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34 boards per game. However, it's not like Sumner struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
