Basketball Game Preview: Tarpon Springs Spongers vs. Clearwater Tornadoes + Official Tickets

Tarpon Springs is on a seven-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Clearwater a six-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Friday. Having just played yesterday, the Tarpon Springs Spongers will get right back to it and host the Clearwater Tornadoes at 7:45 p.m. Tarpon Springs has given up an average of 68.4 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Thursday, Tarpon Springs took a blow against Palm Harbor University, falling 63-31.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Clearwater beat Berkeley Prep 48-43 on Wednesday. The win almost wasn't to be: the Tornadoes were down 39-24 in the third quarter.

Clearwater's win came from a few key players Tarpon Springs will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kyden Heniger, who posted 16 points and six assists. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tavaris Gant, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds.

Clearwater's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Tarpon Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.

Tarpon Springs was dealt a bruising 71-19 defeat at the hands of Clearwater in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Spongers were down 49-9.