It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Clearwater can now relate to. They took a 56-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of the New Smyrna Beach Barracudas on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Tornadoes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 71st, while the Barracudas are ranked 14th).
Taina Sturdivant
| 03/05/25 vs New Smyrna Beach | 3 |
| 02/19/24 vs Port Charlotte | 1 |
| 02/14/24 vs Naples | 1 |
| 02/09/24 vs Seminole | 3 |
Despite the loss, Clearwater had strong showings from Taina Sturdivant, who went 5-for-10 en route to 15 points, and Allevia Williams, who shot 41% from the field on her way to 15 points and three steals. What's more, Sturdivant posted three assists, the most she's had since back in February of 2024. Peyton Flournoy was another key player, putting up 12 points and five boards.
New Smyrna Beach got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Olivia Olson out in front who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Olson has been hot, having posted eight or more boards the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Iniya Reddicks, who went 7-for-14 to rack up 16 points and seven rebounds.
The defeat snapped Clearwater's winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 18-10 record. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points over those games. As for New Smyrna Beach, the win was the 14th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 26-5.
Clearwater does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for New Smyrna Beach, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 56-49 victory against Gainesville on the 7th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
