Basketball Game Preview: Paxton Bobcats vs. Poplar Springs Atomics

Paxton and Poplar Springs are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Paxton has seven straight victories, Poplar Springs has 32 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Two weeks ago, Paxton earned a 44-32 win over Baker. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 54th, while the Gators are ranked 286th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Paxton can attribute much of their success to Alyssa Carson, who posted 12 points and three steals. That's the most points Carson has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Alyssa Falk, who earned six points and three steals.

Paxton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Poplar Springs played a tough game last Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 59-9 loss at the hands of Jay. The matchup marked the Atomics' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Paxton's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26.7 points. As for Poplar Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 0-12.

Paxton was able to grind out a solid win over Poplar Springs in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, winning 52-44. Will Paxton repeat their success, or does Poplar Springs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.