The Oakleaf Knights will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Nease Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on December 12th. Hopefully Oakleaf focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Thursday.
Oakleaf scored the most points they've had all season to find success. They enjoyed a cozy 47-30 win over Bartram Trail. That 47-30 margin sets a new team best for Oakleaf this season.
Oakleaf's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Makiya Trusel, who scored 14 points. Trusel set a new season high mark in points with 14. Another player making a difference was Shelby Gaines, who scored eight points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Nease came up short against St. Augustine last Monday and fell 62-51. While losing is never fun, Nease can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 286th, while St. Augustine is ranked 59th).
Despite the loss, Nease had strong showings from Daniela Reich, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals, and McKenna Owens, who scored 14 points along with three steals. Reich set a new season high mark in steals with seven. Abilgail Robinson was another key contributor, scoring six points.
Oakleaf's win bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Nease, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Oakleaf have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Nease, though, as they've been averaging only 28.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Oakleaf's way against Nease when the teams last played back in January as Oakleaf made off with a 76-54 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Nease's Camryn Robinson, who scored 27 points. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Oakleaf to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
