Basketball Preview: Canterbury Crusaders vs. Indian Rocks Christian Eagles
Canterbury has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Indian Rocks Christian Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Canterbury focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Friday.
Last Friday, Canterbury wound up with the same score they had in their last game (45-40), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was MacKenzie Tucker, who scored nine points along with four steals. She hasn't dropped below four steals for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Myriah Harrison, who scored 15 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Indian Rocks Christian's game on Thursday was all tied up 22-22 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They walked away with a 42-34 victory over Pinellas Park. The win made it back-to-back wins for Indian Rocks Christian.
Indian Rocks Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Malia Stevens, who scored 14 points along with two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ruth Moyer, who scored four points along with 12 rebounds and three steals.
Canterbury has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season. As for Indian Rocks Christian, they pushed their record up to 11-10 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Canterbury haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 9.3 turnovers per game. However, it's not like Indian Rocks Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 1.1 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Canterbury took their victory against the Eagles in their previous meeting back in February of 2022 by a conclusive 50-26. Will Canterbury repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
