Basketball Game Preview: Lake Wales Highlanders vs. Gateway Charter Griffins

The Lake Wales Highlanders will take on the Gateway Charter Griffins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Lake Wales fought the good fight in their overtime game against Auburndale on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 62-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bloodhounds. While losing is never fun, the Highlanders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 360th, while the Bloodhounds are ranked 125th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Gateway Charter, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They walked away with a 75-64 win over Community School of Naples on Thursday.

Gateway Charter's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-7. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.8 points per game. As for Lake Wales, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-13 record this season.