Basketball Game Preview: Middleton Tigers vs. Plant City Raiders

The Middleton Tigers will take on the Plant City Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Middleton fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Gaither on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Cowboys by a score of 38-36. The defeat continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Cowboys: they've now lost three in a row.

Meanwhile, Plant City entered their tilt with Hillsborough on Tuesday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 50-47 victory over the Terriers. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Raiders have posted since January 25, 2024.

Plant City's win came from a few key players Middleton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Harmoney Ford, who posted seven points in addition to 17 rebounds and six steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexi Alvarez, who went 7 of 16 en route to 14 points and seven boards.

Plant City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 26 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Plant City is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-12 record this season. As for Middleton, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8.

Middleton came up short against Plant City when the teams last played back in January of 2023, falling 35-24. Can Middleton avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.