The Bartow Yellow Jackets will head out on the road to face off against the Norland Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Bartow has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Norland will arrive with three straight wins.
Bartow's tournament run continued when they took on North Oconee last Saturday. Bartow lost 96-74 to North Oconee. While losing is never fun, the Yellow Jackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 107th in Florida, while the Titans are ranked tenth in Georgia).
Despite their loss, Bartow saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jaiziah Battle, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Ja'Kylen Crossley, who went 5 for 9 on his way to 14 points.
Even though they lost, Bartow smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Norland posted their biggest victory since November 22, 2024 on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 70-48 margin over Spruce Creek.
Bartow's defeat dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Norland, their win bumped their record up to 8-6.
Bartow came up short against Norland in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, falling 75-63. Can Bartow avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
