The Windermere Prep Lakers will square off against the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Windermere Prep has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Tampa Catholic will arrive with seven straight victories.
Last Wednesday, Windermere Prep came up short against Discovery and fell 68-61.
Malachi Martis
| 02/05/25 @ Discovery | 2 |
| 02/01/25 vs Riviera Prep | 3 |
| 01/31/25 vs AZ Compass Prep National | 3 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Malachi Martis, who went 7 for 12 en route to 17 points and five boards. He has been hot recently, having also posted two or more blocks the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Brandon Bass Jr., who posted 18 points and seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Windermere Prep was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Discovery only posted six assists.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Tampa Catholic rose to the challenge on Friday. They secured a 61-56 W over the Buccaneers. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Buccaneers are ranked 100th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tampa Catholic's win came from a few key players Windermere Prep will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Isaiah Campbell-Finch, who had 15 points along with five assists and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Willie Piggott, who went 5 of 8 to rack up 17 points.
Tampa Catholic's win bumped their record up to 19-9. As for Windermere Prep, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-13.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Windermere Prep has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Tampa Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Windermere Prep strolled past Tampa Catholic when the teams last played back in January of 2021 by a score of 82-63. The rematch might be a little tougher for Windermere Prep since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
