After five games on the road, Merritt Island is heading back home. They will take on the Sebastian River Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Merritt Island scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They blew past Astronaut 67-31 on the road. Merritt Island's offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.
Merritt Island's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaliah Jones, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Jones has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Ada Daniels, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Sebastian River beat Treasure Coast 27-20 on Friday.
It was another big night for Samiya Adams, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Daphne Gibson, who scored two points along with six rebounds and five blocks.
Merritt Island's victory bumped their record up to 2-12. As for Sebastian River, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Merritt Island have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sebastian River struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 29.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Merritt Island was dealt a bruising 51-16 loss at the hands of Sebastian River in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Adams, who scored 18 points along with four steals. Now that Merritt Island knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
