First Coast is 4-0 against Yulee since December of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The First Coast Buccaneers will host the Yulee Hornets at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with First Coast sitting on three straight victories and Yulee on five.
Last Monday, First Coast earned a 74-63 win over San Jose Prep.
| 12/09/24 vs San Jose Prep | 10 |
| 11/29/24 @ Oakleaf | 7 |
| 11/22/24 @ Episcopal School of Jacksonville | 6 |
| 11/19/24 vs Fernandina Beach | 4 |
| 12/06/24 @ Westside | 2 |
First Coast found their leader in sophomore Amari Walton, who dropped a triple-double on 20 points, 14 boards, and ten blocks. The dominant performance gave Walton a new career-high in blocks. Another player making a difference was Nehemiah Echevarria, who posted 15 points and four steals.
Meanwhile, Yulee made easy work of Ridgeview on Monday and carried off a 69-44 victory. The Hornets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 25 points or more this season.
First Coast better focus on containing Shamar Gibbs and Chase Cannone as the pair were huge in Yulee's win. Gibbs went 7 of 12 on his way to 17 points and four steals, while Cannone went 5 of 11 on his way to 10 points in addition to eight steals and seven assists. Gibbs has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Kirchner, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 13 points.
Yulee's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.7 points per game. As for First Coast, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as First Coast and Yulee are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. First Coast hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59.6 points per game. However, it's not like Yulee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 63.8 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Everything came up roses for First Coast against Yulee in their previous matchup back in January, as the team secured a 68-37 win. Will First Coast repeat their success, or does Yulee have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
