The Braden River Pirates will be taking part in a tournament against the Bishop Kenny Crusaders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Braden River is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Braden River blew Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy out of the water with a 45-3 final score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 26-3.
| 12/17/24 vs Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy | 15 |
| 12/13/24 @ Gulf Coast HEAT | 16 |
| 12/12/24 vs Manatee | 16 |
Braden River's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kelis McGrady led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. The game was McGrady's third in a row with at least ten points. Mya Ortega was another key player, going 6 for 9 on her way to 13 points and eight rebounds.
Braden River smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Bishop Kenny came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Tigers 65-20. With that win, the Crusaders brought their scoring average up to 50.8 points per game.
Bishop Kenny found their leader in sophomore Makala DesJarlais, who made all 6 shots she took to post 21 points. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for DesJarlais. The team also got some help courtesy of Kathleen Crawley, who posted 12 points and three steals.
Bishop Kenny's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Braden River, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-4.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Braden River has been crazy accurate this season, having made 58.2% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Bishop Kenny struggles in that department as they've made 47.6% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Braden River took their victory against Bishop Kenny in their previous meeting back in December of 2019 by a conclusive 63-43. Does Braden River have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bishop Kenny turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
