Having just played yesterday, the Haines City Hornets will head out on the road to face off against the Discovery Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on January 13th. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Haines City suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Ridge Community by a score of 53-51. Haines City has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jorge Ramirez, who scored 14 points along with two steals. Trevon Davis was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Discovery's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They took a 82-74 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lake Wales. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Despite their loss, Discovery saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Darius Livingston, who scored 21 points along with three steals and three blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Livingston is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was Willie Wilson, who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Haines City has been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season. As for Discovery, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-3.
Saturday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Haines City have been dynamite from deep this season, having only drained 35% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Discovery struggles in that department as they've nailed 38.3% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Haines City ended up a good deal behind Discovery in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, losing 53-34. Thankfully for Haines City, Angel Canuelas (who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten 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.
