The Springstead Eagles will face off against the Vanguard Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Springstead's favor as the squad sits on seven straight wins at home while Vanguard has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Last Friday, Springstead got the win against Hernando by a conclusive 52-28. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 matches by 24 points or more this season.
| 01/31/25 vs Hernando | 5 |
| 12/06/24 vs Lecanto | 5 |
| 01/28/25 vs Crystal River | 4 |
| 01/25/24 @ East Lake | 4 |
| 01/22/24 vs Wiregrass Ranch | 4 |
Springstead's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Briana Coleman, who posted eight points and 15 rebounds, and Emily Brown, who scored 12 points and five boards. That's the most rebounds Brown has posted since back in December of 2024. Michelle Ramirez-Hoyos was another key player, putting up ten points.
Springstead smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Vanguard played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 53-16 loss at the hands of Hawthorne. The matchup marked the Knights' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Sanaria Gunsby was Vanguard's leading scorer, having posted five points. Sylnya Roberson held things down on the boards with eight rebounds. Jerkiah Richardson took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with two assists.
Springstead has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.9 points per game. As for Vanguard, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Springstead has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Vanguard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Springstead was able to grind out a solid win over Vanguard when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 36-24. Does Springstead have another victory up their sleeve, or will Vanguard turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
