Basketball Game Preview: Bishop Verot Vikings vs. First Baptist Academy Lions

Bishop Verot is 1-7 against First Baptist Academy since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Bishop Verot Vikings will take on the First Baptist Academy Lions in a tournament on Friday. Bishop Verot is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.9 points per game this season.

Bishop Verot took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 44-41 victory over Community School of Naples. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 121st, while the Seahawks are ranked 295th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Bishop Verot had a senior duo take command as Gavin Williams went 7 of 10 en route to 24 points and four steals and Jerry Ashley posted eight points along with 11 boards and four blocks. Ashley has been hot, having posted nine or more rebounds the last seven times he's played.

Meanwhile, First Baptist Academy entered their tilt with Oasis on Thursday with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. They blew past the Sharks, posting a 64-33 win. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 21 points or more this season.

First Baptist Academy's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for Bishop Verot, their win bumped their record up to 13-7.

Bishop Verot was able to grind out a solid victory over First Baptist Academy when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 49-41. Will Bishop Verot repeat their success, or does First Baptist Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.