The Palm Beach Gardens Gators came tearing into Friday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took down Nova 61-47. The score was all tied up 26-26 at the break, but Palm Beach Gardens was the better team in the second half.
Palm Beach Gardens' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brandi Brown, who scored 17 points along with seven assists. Brown continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kyana Poitier, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Nova still got an impressive performance from Jaelynn Housey, who scored 25 points along with four blocks. The game was Housey's sixth in a row with at least ten points. J'Yan Tyrell was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Palm Beach Gardens' victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Nova, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
Palm Beach Gardens is on the road again on Saturday and play against King's Academy at 2:00 p.m. on December 23rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (King's Academy is ranked 30th, while Palm Beach Gardens is ranked 50th). Nova won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Norland at 12:00 p.m. on December 23rd. Norland is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.