The Palm Harbor University Hurricanes will head out on the road to face off against the Mitchell Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully Palm Harbor University focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 on Friday.
Last Friday, Palm Harbor University came up short against Clearwater Central Catholic and fell 49-39. Palm Harbor University has not had much luck with Clearwater Central Catholic recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite their loss, Palm Harbor University saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Devyn Lavelle, who scored 12 points along with 6 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Brenna Walters was another key contributor, scoring 10 points.
Meanwhile, Mitchell had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 48 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 63-23 victory over Bell Creek Academy on the road. The result was nothing new for Mitchell, who have now won four contests by 35 points or more so far this season.
Mitchell relied on the efforts of Kaylana Little, who scored 17 points along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and Priya Jacob, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 10 rebounds. The matchup was Jacob's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Tahlia Vazquez, who scored 10 points along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Countryside's win bumped their season record to 0-0 while Palm Harbor University's loss dropped theirs to 3-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Palm Harbor University have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 42.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mitchell struggles in that department as they've been even better at 43 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Palm Harbor University suffered a grim 62-36 defeat to Mitchell in their previous meeting back in January. Thankfully for Palm Harbor University, Julia Rueda (who scored 31 points along with 8 rebounds and 7 steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
