Preview: Mainland Buccaneers vs. Rickards Raiders
The Mainland Buccaneers will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Rickards Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on February 23rd. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Mainland walked away with it. They came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 56-44 on Tuesday. Given Mainland's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 39th, while Booker T. Washington is ranked 167th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mainland's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nathan Kirk, who scored 21 points along with two steals. Kirk hasn't dropped below 15 points for ten straight games. Another player making a difference was Kade Manley, who scored 14 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Rickards waltzed into their game on Tuesday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 39-36 win over Riverside.
Rickards' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Randall Pompey, who scored seven points.
Mainland is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 21-6 record this season. As for Rickards, their win bumped their record up to 23-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's match: Mainland have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 44.5% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Rickards, though, as they've only made 18.3% of their threes this season. Given Mainland's sizable advantage in that area, Rickards will need to find a way to close that gap.
Mainland strolled past Rickards in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 44-25. Will Mainland repeat their success, or does Rickards have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
