Basketball Game Preview: Wildwood Wildcats vs. South Lake Eagles

The Wildwood Wildcats will face off against the South Lake Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Wildwood's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home while South Lake has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.

Last Thursday, Wildwood was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 71-66 to Zephyrhills. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Wildcats came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 184th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 572nd).

Despite their loss, Wildwood saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Louis Brown, who posted 17 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Brown is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Another player making a difference was Demarius Knight, who put up eight points and six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Wildwood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when South Lake faced off against Lake Minneola on Friday. South Lake came up short against Lake Minneola, falling 69-45.

Wildwood's defeat dropped their record down to 13-3. As for South Lake, their loss dropped their record down to 9-7.

Wildwood came up short against South Lake when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 64-60. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of South Lake's Isaiah Pina, who shot 5-for-5 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 33 points and 16 boards. Now that Wildwood knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.