Having just played yesterday, the Hawthorne Hornets will get right back to it and host the Vanguard Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Vanguard will be up against a hot Hawthorne squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Hawthorne put the hurt on Chiefland with a sharp 52-29 victory on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Vanguard entered their tilt with South Sumter on Wednesday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They breezed by the Raiders to the tune of 40-4. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 249th, while the Raiders are ranked 548th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hawthorne better keep an eye on Sanaria Gunsby. She was instrumental in Vanguard's win, almost dropping a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds. Gunsby has been hot recently, having also posted four or more steals the last three times she's played. Kenaria Dowdy was another key player, putting up six points and 12 boards.
Vanguard smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Hawthorne's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-3. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.5 points per game. As for Vanguard, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7.
Everything came up roses for Hawthorne against Vanguard when the teams last played back in January of 2021, as the squad secured a 61-27 win. In that game, Hawthorne amassed a halftime lead of 37-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
