Preview: St. John Paul II Academy Eagles vs. Palm Beach Gardens Gators
St. John Paul II Academy has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. The St. John Paul II Academy Eagles and the Palm Beach Gardens Gators will face off at 5:00 p.m. on December 27th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard on Wednesday.
St. John Paul II Academy scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Inlet Grove 87-55 at home. The victory was all the more spectacular given St. John Paul II Academy's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 526th, while Inlet Grove is ranked 230th).
Dior Johnson was his usual excellent self, scoring 26 points along with seven assists and four steals. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Rowan Linder, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach Gardens made easy work of Seminole Ridge last Thursday and carried off a 69-43 win. With Palm Beach Gardens ahead 40-20 at the half, the match was all but over already.
St. John Paul II Academy is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a massive bump to their 3-5 record this season. As for Palm Beach Gardens, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-2.
St. John Paul II Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Palm Beach Gardens in their previous meeting back in December of 2021, but they still walked away with a 53-49 win. Will St. John Paul II Academy repeat their success, or does Palm Beach Gardens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
