Basketball Game Preview: Sickles Gryphons vs. Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons

Two dominant guards in Kelsey Sharpe and Acelia Beals are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sickles Gryphons will square off against the Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Sickles comes in on four and Charlotte on six.

Sickles is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top against Sunlake by a score of 72-63. That's two games straight that the Gryphons have won by exactly nine points.

Kelsey Sharpe

Steals

02/13/25 vs Sunlake	6
02/08/25 @ Steinbrenner	3
02/06/25 vs Largo	6
01/31/25 vs Armwood	6
01/28/25 @ Steinbrenner	2
+ 35 more games

Sickles' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sharpe, who went 8-for-14 on her way to 25 points in addition to six steals and five rebounds. Sharpe is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last 40 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jadyn Watts, who almost dropped a double-double with 21 points and nine boards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte blew past Palmetto Ridge, posting a 57-28 win. The Fightin' Tarpons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 22 points or more this season.

Sickles better focus on containing Beals and Samantha Vega as the pair were huge in Charlotte's win. Beals went 9-for-18 to rack up 18 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, while Vega went 6-for-9 en route to 15 points and seven boards. Adrienne Harris was another key player, putting up three points in addition to six rebounds and five steals.

Sickles' victory bumped their record up to 20-8. As for Charlotte, their win bumped their record up to 19-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sickles has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Charlotte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.