Escambia is 0-10 against West Florida since December of 2015 but things could change on Tuesday. The Escambia Gators will head out to square off against the West Florida Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. After both made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Tuesday.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Escambia turned things around against Northview on Friday. They blew past the Chiefs 50-21. That looming 50-21 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gators yet this season.
| 01/10/25 vs Northview | 27 |
| 01/08/25 vs Tate | 23 |
| 12/17/24 vs Navarre | 15 |
| 12/16/24 @ Destin | 23 |
| 12/05/24 vs Elberta | 22 |
Brianna Williams had an outrageously good game as she dropped a double-double on ten points and 27 boards. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down 14 or more in the last seven games she's played. Akiyah Turner was another key player, putting up ten points.
Escambia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 30 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in ten consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, West Florida entered their tilt with Gulf Breeze on Tuesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They claimed a resounding 52-19 win over the Dolphins. Given the Jaguars' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Dolphins are ranked 487th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Florida's win came from a few key players Escambia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Amani Bartholomew, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards. She also grabbed five steals, which is notable because West Florida is 10-3 when she posts at least five steals, but 2-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Randi Kemp, who posted six points and six rebounds.
Escambia's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-6. As for West Florida, their win bumped their record up to 12-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Escambia has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 42.8 boards per game. However, it's not like West Florida struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Escambia was taken down by West Florida 60-14 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Escambia was down 28-7.
