Having just played yesterday, the Santa Fe Catholic Hawks will jump right back in to play The Villages Charter Buffalo at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday. Santa Fe Catholic knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past nine matches -- so hopefully The Villages Charter likes a good challenge.
Santa Fe Catholic will head into Friday's game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they had to skate by with only a three-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 25-point drubbing they dealt Seffner Christian on Friday. Santa Fe Catholic blew past Seffner Christian 72-47. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 22 points or more this season.
Santa Fe Catholic got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ethan Knox out in front who went 7 of 16 en route to 19 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Toby Lane, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 14 points along with six assists and five boards.
Meanwhile, The Villages Charter rang in the new year with a 74-65 win over Zephyrhills Christian Academy on Saturday. Given the Buffalo's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 16th, while the Warriors are ranked 148th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Santa Fe Catholic better keep an eye on Jared Thompson. He was instrumental in The Villages Charter's win, going 9 of 15 on his way to 19 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Herly Brutus, who posted eight points along with nine boards and six assists.
The Villages Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive matchups.
Santa Fe Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.3 points per game. As for The Villages Charter, their victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Santa Fe Catholic has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like The Villages Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
