Basketball Game Preview: Booker Tornadoes vs. Wesley Chapel Wildcats

The Booker Tornadoes will venture away from home to challenge the Wesley Chapel Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Wesley Chapel will be up against a hot Booker team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Booker was the clear victor by a 57-32 margin over Canterbury on Wednesday.

Booker got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Brianna Behn out in front who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards. Behn has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times she's played. Jsiyah Taylor was another key player, going 7 for 15 on her way to 14 points.

Booker smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 20 consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Wesley Chapel was fully in charge on Wednesday, breezing past Pasco 63-17. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 143rd, while the Pirates are ranked 669th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Wesley Chapel pushed their record up to 17-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32 points. As for Booker, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Booker against Wesley Chapel in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, as the squad secured a 79-42 victory. Does Booker have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wesley Chapel turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.