Basketball Game Preview: Palmetto Ridge Bears vs. Fort Myers Green Wave

The Palmetto Ridge Bears will face off against the Fort Myers Green Wave at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Palmetto Ridge is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.8 points per game this season.

Fort Myers will be up against a hot Palmetto Ridge team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Palmetto Ridge breezed by East Lee County to the tune of 96-59 on Tuesday. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 285th, while the Jaguars are ranked 613th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Judah Lopez was nothing short of spectacular: he dropped a double-double on 40 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. Juju Castillo was another key player, dropping a triple-double on 14 points, ten boards, and ten assists.

Palmetto Ridge was working as a unit and finished the game with 28 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Fort Myers entered their game against Port Charlotte on Wednesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Fort Myers fell 58-45 to Port Charlotte.

Palmetto Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for Fort Myers, their defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-8.

Palmetto Ridge might still be hurting after the 70-49 loss they got from Fort Myers in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Will Palmetto Ridge have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.