Spoto is 1-6 against Strawberry Crest since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Spoto Spartans will head out on the road to square off against the Strawberry Crest Chargers at 8:00 p.m. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Last Wednesday, Spoto was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 58-53 to Gaither.
The losing side was boosted by Donovan McSwain, who scored 17 points. His trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Another player making a difference was Jerren Rodriguez, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Strawberry Crest's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They received a tough blow as they fell 75-57 to Durant. While losing is never fun, Strawberry Crest can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 690th, while Durant is ranked 119th).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Hunter Hall, who scored ten points along with six assists and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Crowe, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, Strawberry Crest were working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. This was only their 12th loss (out of 14 games) when they've passed the ball that well.
Spoto's defeat dropped their record down to 7-10. As for Strawberry Crest, they dropped their record down to 3-19 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Spoto have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Strawberry Crest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Spoto suffered a grim 75-54 defeat to Strawberry Crest in their previous meeting back in January of 2022. Thankfully for Spoto, Jasiah Taylor (who scored 24 points along with six assists and six rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
