The Crystal River Pirates are taking a road trip to challenge the Nature Coast Tech Sharks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Tuesday, Crystal River was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 44-43 to Hernando. While the Pirates didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Leopards 14-4 in the first quarter.
Angel Hughes
| 01/14/25 vs Hernando | 6 |
| 01/10/25 vs Weeki Wachee | 5 |
| 12/03/24 vs Nature Coast Tech | 5 |
| 11/20/24 vs Belleview | 5 |
| 12/19/23 @ Springstead | 5 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Angel Hughes, who posted 15 points in addition to six boards and four steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in rebounds. Keyrra Ruiz was another key player, going 5 of 10 en route to 16 points.
Even though they lost, Crystal River smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 11 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Nature Coast Tech's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They came up short against Mitchell, falling 65-44. While losing is never fun, the Sharks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 410th, while the Mustangs are ranked 157th).
Crystal River's record now sits at 6-8. As for Nature Coast Tech, their record now sits at an identical 6-8.
Crystal River strolled past Nature Coast Tech in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 54-39. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Nature Coast Tech's Jaida Grier, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Crystal River still be able to contain Grier? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
