Pine and the Eagles are an even 3-3 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Pine Knights will look to defend their home court on Monday against the Jupiter Christian Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pine came tearing into Thursday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by NSU University at home to the tune of 69-36. The score was close at the half, but Pine pulled away in the second half with 40 points.
Emily Shirk was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 36 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it ten consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Pine's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aspen Schellenberg, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Jupiter Christian came into Monday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They were the clear victor by a 34-13 margin over Leonard. The win was just what Jupiter Christian needed coming off of a 51-28 loss in their prior game.
Jupiter Christian found their leader in underclassman Emilia Edgar, who scored 16 points. Anna Norus was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with eight rebounds.
Pine's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.3 points per game. As for Jupiter Christian, the victory got them back to even at 8-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Pine have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jupiter Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pine strolled past the Eagles in their previous meeting last Thursday by a score of 47-33. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Edgar, who scored 21 points along with five rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Pine still be able to contain Edgar? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
