Basketball Game Preview: Wesley Chapel Wildcats vs. Booker Tornadoes

The Wesley Chapel Wildcats will square off against the Booker Tornadoes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Last Wednesday, Wesley Chapel was fully in charge, breezing past Pasco 63-17. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 143rd, while the Pirates are ranked 669th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Booker came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Cougars as they made off with a 57-32 victory.

Booker's win came from a few key players Wesley Chapel will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brianna Behn, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards. She has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jsiyah Taylor, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 14 points.

Booker smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 20 consecutive games.

Booker is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.8 points per game. As for Wesley Chapel, they pushed their record up to 17-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road.

Wesley Chapel took a serious blow against Booker when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 79-42. Will Wesley Chapel have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.