Basketball Game Preview: Manatee Hurricanes vs. Palmetto Tigers

The Manatee Hurricanes will look to take advantage of their home court for the first time this season as they take on the Palmetto Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Manatee comes in on three and Palmetto on four.

Manatee is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They strolled past Lakewood Ranch with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 90-72. Given the Hurricanes' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 256th, while the Mustangs are ranked 593rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Keith Fields

Steals

01/14/25 @ Lakewood Ranch	3
01/13/25 @ Riverview Sarasota	6
01/10/25 @ Bayshore	9
01/08/25 @ Sarasota	3
01/07/25 @ Parrish Community	7

Manatee's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Keith Fields led the charge by almost dropping a triple-double on 18 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Fields is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 18 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jayden Guet, who went 7 for 11 en route to 18 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Palmetto was able to grind out a solid victory over Winthrop College Prep Academy on Monday, taking the game 49-39.

Manatee pushed their record up to 11-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.7 points per game. As for Palmetto, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.

Manatee came up short against Palmetto in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 64-58. Can Manatee avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.