Basketball Game Preview: Florida Christian Patriots vs. Westminster Christian Warriors

Two dominant guards in Ryan Rangel and Cooper Whitby are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Florida Christian Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Westminster Christian Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Florida Christian is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Pinecrest Glades Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Florida Christian blew Pinecrest Glades Academy out of the water with a 72-32 final score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 46-21.

Key West typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Westminster Christian proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Conchs 65-38. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 23 points or more this season.

Florida Christian better keep an eye on Whitby. He was instrumental in Westminster Christian's win, going 7 for 10 en route to 21 points and seven boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Dwight Whipple, who posted 12 points and seven assists.

Florida Christian has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.6 points per game. As for Westminster Christian, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 16-5.

Florida Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Westminster Christian in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, sneaking past 52-49. The rematch might be a little tougher for Florida Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.