Preview: Cardinal Mooney Cougars vs. Bradenton Christian Panthers
After three games on the road, Cardinal Mooney is heading back home. They will take on the Bradenton Christian Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
With a playoff game on the line, Cardinal Mooney rose to the challenge on Thursday. They blew past the Thunder 65-38 on the road. The victory was just what Cardinal Mooney needed coming off of a 66-39 defeat in their prior matchup.
Cardinal Mooney's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Connor Heald, who scored 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Schaeffer, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Bradenton Christian entered their tilt with Imagine School at North Port with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Bradenton Christian came out on top against Imagine School at North Port by a score of 82-69 on Thursday. Given Bradenton Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 124th, while Imagine School at North Port is ranked 434th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cardinal Mooney has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a massive bump to their 17-8 record this season. As for Bradenton Christian, their win bumped their record up to 19-7.
Cardinal Mooney didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Bradenton Christian in their previous matchup back in January, but they still walked away with a 61-55 victory. Does Cardinal Mooney have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bradenton Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
