Basketball Game Preview: Tampa Catholic Crusaders vs. Lake Highland Prep Highlanders

The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Lake Highland Prep Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Tampa Catholic's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 19 matches.

Tampa Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They managed a 62-57 win over Windermere Prep. That's two games straight that the Crusaders have won by exactly five points.

Willie Piggott

Three Point Percentage (Career)

02/12/25 vs Windermere Prep	80%
01/18/25 vs Wiregrass Ranch	75%
02/07/25 vs Berkeley Prep	67%
01/29/25 vs Lakeland	67%
01/15/25 vs George Jenkins	50%

Tampa Catholic got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Willie Piggott out in front who went 9-for-13 to rack up 28 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Piggott a new career-high in three-point shooting accuracy (80%). Isaiah Campbell-Finch was another key player, going 7-for-12 on his way to 19 points and five assists.

Meanwhile, Lake Highland Prep came tearing into Wednesday's contest with 11 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Buccaneers with points to spare, taking the game 55-38. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 21st, while the Buccaneers are ranked 111th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Tampa Catholic has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.3 points over those games. As for Lake Highland Prep, their record now sits at 23-4.

Tampa Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Lake Highland Prep in their previous matchup back in March of 2020, winning 65-54. Will Tampa Catholic repeat their success, or does Lake Highland Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.