Two dominant guards in Morgan Cremen and Piera Alexander are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Beachside Barracudas will be playing at home against the Orange Park Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Beachside had no problem doing just that on Monday. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 60-27 victory over the Knights. Beachside has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 24 points or more this season.
Beachside found their leader in underclassman Madilyn (Madi) Ray, who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 blocks. Ray has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last 13 times she's played. Cremen was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Orange Park scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Fleming Island 87-60 on the road. Given Orange Park's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 137th, while Fleming Island is ranked 290th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Orange Park got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Alexander out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds. Alexander has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Autumn Nesmith, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals.
Beachside is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-4 record this season. As for Orange Park, they now have a winning record of 12-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Beachside have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Orange Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Beachside was able to grind out a solid victory over Orange Park in their previous meeting back in January, winning 52-41. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Alexander, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Beachside still be able to contain Alexander? There's only one way to find out.
