P.K. Yonge and Hawthorne are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave will be home for the holidays to greet the Hawthorne Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
P.K. Yonge unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of Santa Fe by a score of 63-60. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as P.K. Yonge came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 169th, while Santa Fe is ranked 443rd).
Despite their defeat, P.K. Yonge saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Joel Washington, who scored 18 points along with five assists and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The contest was Washington's third in a row with at least ten points. Jantzen Griffin was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Hawthorne took their game on the road on Thursday with ease, bagging a 58-18 win over Bradford. With Hawthorne ahead 38-10 at the half, the game was all but over already.
CJ Ingram went supernova for Hawthorne, scoring 22 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Caleb Rollerson, who scored 15 points.
P.K. Yonge's loss dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Hawthorne, their win ended a three-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-0.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: P.K. Yonge have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 40.6% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Hawthorne struggles in that department as they've made 46.5% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
P.K. Yonge came out on top in a nail-biter against Hawthorne when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 47-45. Does P.K. Yonge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hawthorne turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
