Basketball Game Preview: Indian Rocks Christian Eagles vs. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic Hurricanes

The Indian Rocks Christian Eagles will head out to challenge the Bishop McLaughlin Catholic Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Indian Rocks Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They strolled past Admiral Farragut with points to spare, taking the game 73-57.

Meanwhile, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.8 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They walked away with a 63-50 win over the Crusaders.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic's win came from a few key players Indian Rocks Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hunter Grove, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jacob Mekdeci, who posted 13 points and five assists.

Indian Rocks Christian pushed their record up to 11-6 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.7 points per game. As for Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 14-3.

Indian Rocks Christian won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, slipping by Bishop McLaughlin Catholic 59-58. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bishop McLaughlin Catholic's Xavier Finney, who had 20 points in addition to seven boards and seven steals. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Indian Rocks Christian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.