The Vanguard Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Springstead Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Vanguard got their first taste of in-conference action on Monday and they started things off strong. They took down Lecanto 55-36. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Knights.
Kenaria Dowdy
| 12/11/25 vs Santa Fe | 17 |
| 11/20/25 @ Santa Fe | 13 |
| 01/21/26 @ Palatka | 12 |
| 02/02/26 vs Lecanto | 11 |
| 11/18/25 @ Lake Weir | 10 |
| + 16 more games |
Vanguard's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kenaria Dowdy, who posted eight points and 11 rebounds. The Knights are 4-1 when Dowdy posts ten or more boards, but 7-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Saniya Kendrick, who shot 43% from the field en route to 12 points.
Vanguard smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Springstead over Nature Coast Tech in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Eagles blew the Sharks out of the water with a 53-19 final score. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 21 points or more this season.
Springstead found their leader in sophomore Ariana Willoughby, who went 6-for-11 to rack up 18 points and five rebounds. Michelle Ramirez-Hoyos was another key player, putting up ten points along with six boards and three steals.
Vanguard now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Springstead, their victory bumped their record up to 20-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Vanguard has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Springstead struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Vanguard was dealt a bruising 53-22 defeat at the hands of Springstead in their previous meeting back in January. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Knights were down 28-6.
