The Bartow Yellow Jackets's homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Lake Wales Highlanders at 8:00 p.m. on December 20th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard on Wednesday.
Bartow scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Auburndale 60-24 at home. That looming 60-24 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Bartow yet this season.
Bartow found their leader in underclassman Jj West, who scored 22 points along with nine steals. Those nine steals set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Jalissa Foster, who scored 19 points along with seven steals.
Meanwhile, Lake Wales came tearing into Monday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They really took it to Victory Christian Academy for the full four quarters, racking up a 69-28 victory on the road. Lake Wales might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won seven games by 21 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lake Wales to victory, but perhaps none more so than Vanessa Squire, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds. The matchup was Squire's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Tania Williams was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with eight assists and six rebounds.
Bartow's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-6. As for Lake Wales, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-3.
Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Bartow have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lake Wales struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 27.1 rebounds per game. Given Bartow's sizeable advantage in that area, Lake Wales will need to find a way to close that gap.
Bartow came up short against Lake Wales in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, falling 51-38. Thankfully for Bartow, Jameria Robinson (who scored 28 points along with seven rebounds and five steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
