Preview: Classical Prep Lions vs. North Tampa Christian Academy Titans
The Classical Prep Lions will take on the North Tampa Christian Academy Titans at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Classical Prep will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 450th, while North Tampa Christian Academy is ranked 55th).
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Classical Prep had no problem doing just that on Monday. They really took it to the Lions for the full four quarters, racking up a 53-13 victory on the road. Classical Prep has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 23 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Classical Prep to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kaelyn Malloy, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and three steals. That makes it 12 consecutive games in which Malloy has scored at least a third of Classical Prep's points. Another player making a difference was Mia Milanes, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, North Tampa Christian Academy strolled past Seven Rivers Christian with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 68-52.
North Tampa Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Arianna Murray, who scored 23 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Murray has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last 11 times she's played. Aliyah Harris-Green was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with eight assists and five steals.
Classical Prep's record now sits at 12-8. As for North Tampa Christian Academy, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-2 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Classical Prep have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Tampa Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
