Preview: St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders vs. Deerfield Beach Bucks
The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders on the road again on Tuesday and play against the Deerfield Beach Bucks at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. St. Thomas Aquinas will be strutting in after a win while Deerfield Beach will be coming in after a defeat.
In what's become a running theme this season, St. Thomas Aquinas gave their fans yet another huge win on Thursday. They really took it to Miami Beach for the full four quarters, racking up a 85-36 victory on the road. Given St. Thomas Aquinas' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while Miami Beach is ranked 244th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Thomas Aquinas' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ayden (AJ) Ambrose, who scored 16 points along with five assists and four steals. Clarence Westbrook Jr. was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Deerfield Beach's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their 13th straight loss. They were outmatched by Boyd Anderson on the road and fell 61-31. Deerfield Beach has not had much luck with Boyd Anderson recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
St. Thomas Aquinas' win bumped their record up to 16-5. As for Deerfield Beach, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 4-15.
St. Thomas Aquinas didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Deerfield Beach in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 58-52 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Thomas Aquinas since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
