Having just played yesterday, the Maclay Marauders will jump right back in to play the Gadsden County Jaguars at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Gadsden County took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Maclay, who comes in off a win.
Maclay can finally bid farewell to their six-game losing streak thanks to their game on Wednesday. They managed a 50-46 victory over Godby. The win was just what Maclay needed coming off of a 65-41 defeat in their prior game.
Maclay can attribute much of their success to Nash Beshears, who scored 16 points. That's the first time this season that Beshears scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ezekiel Podgorski, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Gadsden County pushed their score all the way to 55 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They received a tough blow as they fell 71-55 to Rickards. While losing is never fun, Gadsden County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 412th, while Rickards is ranked 37th).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Nasir Williams, who dropped a triple-double on ten points, 17 rebounds, and ten steals. Those ten steals set a new season-high mark for him. Jamari Mosley was another key contributor, scoring 24 points.
Maclay's win bumped their record up to 3-7. As for Gadsden County, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Maclay have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 19.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Gadsden County struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 38.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Maclay against Gadsden County when the teams last played back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 70-40 win. With Maclay ahead 41-18 at the half, the game was all but over already.
