Basketball Game Preview: Pope John Paul II Knights vs. Ensworth Tigers

The Pope John Paul II Knights will head out on the road to square off against the Ensworth Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Pope John Paul II's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.

Pope John Paul II is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Tennessee's top teams: Montgomery Bell Academy, who was ranked sixth at the time (Pope John Paul II was ranked second). Pope John Paul II fell 69-61 to Montgomery Bell Academy on Tuesday. That makes it the first time this season the Knights have let down their home crowd.

Trey Pearson put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 6 for 10 en route to 17 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Jack Valentine was another key player, putting up eight points and five boards.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Ensworth's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 53-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of Brentwood Academy.

Pope John Paul II's defeat ended a ten-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 20-3. As for Ensworth, their loss dropped their record down to 15-5.

Pope John Paul II didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Ensworth in their previous meeting on January 3rd, but they still walked away with a 70-64 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pope John Paul II since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.