Leon and Chiles are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2021, but not for long. The Leon Lions will square off against the Chiles Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Leon is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.
Last Tuesday, Leon was able to grind out a solid win over North Florida Christian, taking the game 67-56. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Eagles are ranked 494th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Aaron Pensel was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. DeKendrick Williams was another key player, putting up 16 points and five assists.
Leon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Chiles, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They came out on top against Community Leadership Academy by a score of 55-45 on Wednesday.
Leon better focus on containing Isaiah Bundrage and Gabe Parks as the pair were huge in Chiles' win. Bundrage dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten boards, while Parks dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. Bundrage has been hot, having posted eight or more boards the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Christian Craig, who posted seven points.
Leon has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.5 points per game. As for Chiles, their record is now 10-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Leon has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 37.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Chiles struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Leon was able to grind out a solid victory over Chiles when the teams last played back in December of 2024, winning 63-55. The rematch might be a little tougher for Leon since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
