Crystal River is 2-8 against Springstead since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Crystal River Pirates will take on the Springstead Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Springstead is hoping to do what Jefferson couldn't last Saturday: put an end to Crystal River's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Crystal River ended the year with a bang, routing Jefferson 72-49. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 22 points or more this season.
Gavin Eddings
| 12/28/24 vs Jefferson | 7 |
| 12/07/23 vs Bishop McLaughlin Catholic | 4 |
| 12/13/23 vs Tavares | 4 |
| 12/15/23 @ Weeki Wachee | 4 |
| 11/30/24 vs P.K. Yonge | 4 |
Crystal River's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Gavin Eddings, who made all 7 shots he took to post 19 points along with seven assists and five boards. Those seven assists gave Eddings a new career-high. Ej Jenkins was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards.
Crystal River smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Springstead strolled past Mitchell with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 64-47. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Springstead's win came from a few key players Crystal River will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jamin Pond, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 16 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Sayre, who posted 18 points.
Crystal River is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Springstead, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Crystal River has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Springstead struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Crystal River was dealt a bruising 75-23 loss at the hands of Springstead in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Thankfully for Crystal River, Austin Nicholson (who went 7 of 9 on his way to 17 points and five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
