Preview: Patel Trailblazers vs. Seven Rivers Christian Warriors
Patel has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Seven Rivers Christian Warriors at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Wednesday, Patel beat Zephyrhills Christian Academy 46-37.
Patel's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was SIMARKAE MCLEAN, who scored 20 points along with three steals. That makes it 14 consecutive games in which MCLEAN has scored at least a third of Patel's points. BELLA SMITH was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, even though Mitchell scored an imposing 57 points on Wednesday, Seven Rivers Christian still came out on top. Seven Rivers Christian strolled past Mitchell with points to spare, taking the game 71-57. The win made it back-to-back wins for Seven Rivers Christian.
Seven Rivers Christian found their leader in underclassman Jurisah Bailey, who dropped a double-double on 30 points and 13 rebounds. Bailey is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Annalise De beer, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Patel is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-7 record this season. As for Seven Rivers Christian, their victory was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Patel have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 8.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Seven Rivers Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 31.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Patel strolled past Seven Rivers Christian when the teams last played back in December of 2021 by a score of 54-37. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Seven Rivers Christian's Mckayla Smith, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Patel to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
