Basketball Game Preview: East Lake Eagles vs. Largo Packers

The East Lake Eagles will head out to square off against the Largo Packers at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (East Lake has three straight wins, Largo has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

East Lake saw some tournament action on Saturday. They came out on top against Lakewood by a score of 64-54. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 85th, while the Spartans are ranked 220th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

East Lake got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jeremiah Cooper out in front who went 6 for 12 on his way to 20 points and five assists. Cooper's evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Jordan Bryant was another key player, going 6 of 10 on his way to 15 points along with six rebounds and four blocks.

Meanwhile, Largo lost to Mitchell on the road by a 72-57 margin on Friday.

East Lake's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-5. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.2 points per game. As for Largo, their loss dropped their record down to 2-14.

East Lake was able to grind out a solid victory over Largo when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 74-65. The rematch might be a little tougher for East Lake since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.