Basketball Game Preview: Ensworth Tigers vs. Pope John Paul II Knights

Ensworth and Pope John Paul II are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. The Ensworth Tigers will square off against the Pope John Paul II Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Ensworth sitting on three straight wins and Pope John Paul II on nine.

Ensworth will head into Monday's contest 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 20-point drubbing they dealt Eustis on Monday. Ensworth put the hurt on Eustis with a sharp 61-41 victory.

Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II faced Briarcrest Christian in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Pope John Paul II had just enough and edged Briarcrest Christian out 72-70. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted since January 25th.

Ensworth better keep an eye on Trey Pearson. He was instrumental in Pope John Paul II's win, going 9 of 12 on his way to 25 points and seven rebounds. That's the most points Pearson has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Osby Cavin, who went 6 of 11 on his way to 19 points.

Ensworth has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points per game. As for Pope John Paul II, their victory bumped their record up to 15-1.

Ensworth came up short against Pope John Paul II when the teams last played back in February, falling 67-56. Can Ensworth avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.