Basketball Game Preview: Cardinal Mooney Cougars vs. Lake Highland Prep Highlanders

The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will face off against the Lake Highland Prep Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cardinal Mooney knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 13 matches -- so hopefully Lake Highland Prep likes a good challenge.

Cardinal Mooney is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They took down Cocoa 67-48. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while the Tigers are ranked 148th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cardinal Mooney's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Madi Mignery led the charge by putting up 18 points. Kali Barrett was another key player, scoring 14 points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lake Highland Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They skirted past Lakewood 48-45. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Highlanders have posted since December 20, 2024.

The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Ari Woodard and Sumayah McIntosh. Woodard had a solid game on Thursday and posted 17 points. Meanwhile, McIntosh was balling out in the loss, posting ten points along with eight boards and six steals.

Cardinal Mooney's victory was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.5 points over those games. As for Lake Highland Prep, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 14-12 record this season.

Cardinal Mooney beat Lake Highland Prep 65-58 in their previous matchup back in January. Does Cardinal Mooney have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lake Highland Prep turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.