The Hillsborough Terriers will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Plant City Raiders at 6:30 p.m. Hillsborough will be strutting in after a victory while Plant City will be coming in after a loss.
In what's become a running theme this season, Hillsborough gave their fans yet another huge victory on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Freedom 73-22 at home. With Hillsborough ahead 48-14 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Hillsborough's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jojo Cruz-Smartt, who scored 18 points. Another player making a difference was Ellayna Stephens, who scored 16 points.
Meanwhile, Plant City was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 35-30 to East Bay.
Despite their loss, Plant City saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Alexi Alvarez, who scored four points along with 11 rebounds and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Yadira Rivas was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Hillsborough has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. As for Plant City, their defeat was their seventh straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-14.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's contest: Hillsborough have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 50.6% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Plant City, though, as they've only made 18.4% of their threes per game this season. Given Hillsborough's sizeable advantage in that area, Plant City will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Hillsborough against Plant City in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the squad secured a 57-17 victory. With Hillsborough ahead 39-8 at the half, the game was all but over already.
