The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Springstead Eagles on February 8th. One thing working in Wiregrass Ranch's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
Even though Wesley Chapel scored an imposing 71 points on Friday, Wiregrass Ranch still came out on top. Wiregrass Ranch strolled past Wesley Chapel with points to spare, taking the game 87-71. The score was all tied up 37-37 at the break, but Wiregrass Ranch was the better team in the second half.
Wiregrass Ranch got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Donovan Gaines out in front who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gaines has scored all season. Preston Linville was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Springstead rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 83-65 victory over the Mustangs. Springstead's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
It was another big night for Austin Nicholson, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 13 rebounds. He is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Another player making a difference was Niko Cordello, who went 7 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 21 points and 2 assists.
Wiregrass Ranch has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 16 of their last 18 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 22-3 record this season. As for Springstead, their victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-9.
Wiregrass Ranch ended up a good deal behind Springstead in their previous matchup back in December of 2020, losing 71-56. Thankfully for Wiregrass Ranch, Jaquan Carswell (who scored 27 points along with five assists and five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
