Basketball Game Preview: Norland Vikings vs. Blanche Ely Tigers

The Norland Vikings will face off against the Blanche Ely Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Norland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They walked away with a 57-47 win over Archbishop McCarthy. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Mavericks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Lorenzo Major

Field Goal Percentage (Career)

02/12/25 vs Archbishop McCarthy	67%
12/14/24 vs St. Brendan	57%
01/17/25 vs Port Charlotte	55%
12/06/24 vs Western	55%
01/07/25 vs Bartow	50%

Lorenzo Major was his usual excellent self, going 6-for-9 to rack up 20 points. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in field goal percentage (67%). Michael Watson was another key player, dropping a double-double with ten points and ten boards.

Norland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Blanche Ely waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed past the Patriots to the tune of 77-22. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 36th, while the Patriots are ranked 222nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Blanche Ely's win bumped their record up to 16-9. As for Norland, their victory bumped their record up to 17-10.

Norland didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Blanche Ely in their previous matchup back in December of 2017, but they still walked away with a 54-50 win. Will Norland repeat their success, or does Blanche Ely have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.