Basketball Game Preview: Cocoa Tigers vs. DME Academy Blue -

The Cocoa Tigers will take on the DME Academy Blue - in a holiday battle at at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Cocoa has three straight wins, DME Academy Blue has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Cocoa beat Deltona 48-36. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 56th, while the Wolves are ranked 247th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Ty Blackmon was the offensive standout of the game as she posted 14 points along with five boards and three steals. That's the most points she has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Bass, who had ten points and five rebounds.

Cocoa smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 14 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, DME Academy Blue ended up a good deal behind Winston Salem Christian National last Sunday and lost 57-42.

Cocoa's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for DME Academy Blue, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.

Cocoa was able to grind out a solid win over DME Academy Blue in their previous matchup back in January, winning 49-42. Does Cocoa have another victory up their sleeve, or will DME Academy Blue turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.