The Winter Haven Blue Devils's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Dr. Phillips Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on March 8th. Winter Haven knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine games -- so hopefully Dr. Phillips likes a good challenge.
Winter Haven had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 60-46 win over Venice two weeks ago. Given Winter Haven's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while Venice is ranked 52nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Winter Haven's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaeden Williams, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine steals. Williams has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 16 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Dashanique Henry, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Dr. Phillips entered their tilt with Oak Ridge with 17 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 18. Dr. Phillips came out on top against Oak Ridge by a score of 58-51 two weeks ago.
Dr. Phillips can attribute much of their success to Trinity Turner, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Kendall Perry, who scored 21 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Turner hasn't dropped below two steals for 13 straight games. Leah Bullard was another key contributor, scoring five points along with two steals.
Winter Haven has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 23-5 record this season. As for Dr. Phillips, their victory bumped their record up to 25-4.
Friday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Winter Haven have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Dr. Phillips struggles in that department as they've been averaging 43 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Winter Haven came up short against Dr. Phillips when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 47-43. Can Winter Haven avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
