Basketball Game Preview: Blanche Ely Tigers vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders

The Blanche Ely Tigers will take on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in a tournament on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.

It was a proper cat-fight when Blanche Ely challenged Dillard on Saturday. Blanche Ely took down Dillard 64-48. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Panthers are ranked 343rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for St. Thomas Aquinas against American Heritage on Monday as the squad secured a 77-38 victory. The Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 21 points or more this season.

Blanche Ely better keep an eye on Dwayne Wimbley Jr.. He was instrumental in St. Thomas Aquinas' win, going 9 of 20 en route to 27 points in addition to five blocks and four steals. Those 27 points gave Wimbley Jr. a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Clarence Westbrook Jr., who posted 19 points.

St. Thomas Aquinas pushed their record up to 20-2 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.8 points per game. As for Blanche Ely, their victory bumped their record up to 13-8.

Blanche Ely couldn't quite finish off St. Thomas Aquinas when the teams last played two weeks ago and fell 79-77. Can Blanche Ely avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.