Basketball Game Preview: Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders vs. Tampa Prep Terrapins

By Team Reports Dec 28, 2023, 3:32am

Preview: Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders vs. Tampa Prep Terrapins

Clearwater Central Catholic has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders and the Tampa Prep Terrapins will face off at 4:00 p.m. on December 28th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Friday, Clearwater Central Catholic was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 60-55 to Lakewood Ranch.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Maxwell Messa, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds. He scored a full 34.5% of Clearwater Central Catholic's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Gio Sciandra was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.

Meanwhile, Tampa Prep put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They took down Plant 61-45. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Tampa Prep has scored all season.

Tampa Prep's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ben Jackson, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds. The game was Jackson's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Chandler White Brooks, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.

Clearwater Central Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 8-2. As for Tampa Prep, they pushed their record up to 9-0 with that win, which was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season.

Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Clearwater Central Catholic have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 39.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Tampa Prep struggles in that department as they've nailed 48.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Clearwater Central Catholic couldn't quite finish off Tampa Prep in their previous meeting back in December of 2016 and fell 44-42. Can Clearwater Central Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.