The Fivay Falcons will head out on the road to face off against the Springstead Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Fivay will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 384th, while Springstead is ranked 128th).
Last Monday, Fivay took their match at home with ease, bagging a 50-7 victory over Central. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Fivay has managed all season.
Fivay can attribute much of their success to Jordana Montaner Rodgers, who scored ten points along with six assists and four steals, and Naimah Mota, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds and five steals. That's the first time this season that Mota scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brianna Williams, who scored six points along with five rebounds and four blocks.
Springstead has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 20 points or more this season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Crystal River 51-11 at home. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Springstead.
It was another big night for Malanie Francis, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds. Francis is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Samantha Suarez, who scored nine points along with ten steals and six assists.
The victory got Fivay back to even at 4-4. As for Springstead, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Fivay have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 37.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Springstead, though, as they've been averaging only 32 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Fivay against Springstead when the teams last played back in November of 2019 as the squad secured a 76-41 win. Will Fivay repeat their success, or does Springstead have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
