Basketball Game Preview: King Lions vs. Middleton Tigers

Two dominant guards in Heaven Pyfrom and Laurie Julot are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the King Lions take on the Middleton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday...

Last Wednesday, King came up short against Riverview and fell 49-42. The Lions have struggled against the Sharks recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.

Despite the loss, King got top-tier performance from Pyfrom, who posted 24 points and three steals. Those 24 points gave Pyfrom a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mariah Pinkney, who earned nine points and eight boards.

Even though they lost, King smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Middleton didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Plant City on Thursday, but they still walked away with a 43-37 win.

Middleton's win came from a few key players King will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Thea Williams, who scored 15 points. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last nine games she's played. Zion Cooper was another key player, putting up seven points and 12 rebounds.

Middleton is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. As for King, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-15.

King took a serious blow against Middleton when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 46-15. Can King avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.