Preview: St. Edward's Pirates vs. City of Life Christian Academy Warriors
St. Edward has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the City of Life Christian Academy Warriors at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Florida (St. Edward's is ranked 633rd, while City of Life Christian Academy is ranked 648th).
Last Tuesday, St. Edward's slipped by Pineapple Cove Classical Academy 51-50. The win was just what St. Edward's needed coming off of a 73-45 defeat in their prior contest.
St. Edward's found their leader in underclassman Cody Simmonds, who scored 23 points. That's the first time this season that Simmonds scored 15 or more points. Gary Anderson was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Meanwhile, even though Merritt Island Christian scored an imposing 62 points on Tuesday, City of Life Christian Academy still came out on top. City of Life Christian Academy walked away with a 71-62 victory over Merritt Island Christian.
City of Life Christian Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Isaac Manlove, who scored 20 points, and Nathan Thompson, who scored 27 points. Manlove hasn't dropped below 15points for three straight games.
St. Edward's record is now 5-7. City of Life Christian Academy's record now sits at 6-8.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Nate Sparkman and Thompson. Sparkman has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 14.8 points. For his part, Thompson has averaged 19.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
St. Edward's might still be hurting after the 60-35 loss they got from City of Life Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in February of 2021. Can St. Edward's avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
