The Tavares Bulldogs will challenge the Freedom Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Monday.
Tavares saw some tournament action on Saturday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 46-45 to Eagle's View.
Tavares' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of IZAYIA WILLIAMS, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 boards, and DYLAN CAMPBELL, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 12 points and seven boards. WILLIAMS is becoming a predictor of Tavares' success: when he posts at least eight rebounds the team is 3-1 (and 2-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of LANDON SAMUEL, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Freedom, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in December of 2024. They blew past Innovation 79-44 two weeks ago. The Patriots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 27 points or more this season.
Freedom had a senior duo take command as Riccardo Palombarini went 7 of 10 on his way to 22 points along with seven boards and five steals and Adam Negede went 8 of 14 on his way to 18 points. The game was Palombarini's sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Luis Guzman, who had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Freedom smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.
With the win, Freedom broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 6-6. As for Tavares, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tavares has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Freedom struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Tavares beat Freedom 68-57 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Will Tavares repeat their success, or does Freedom have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
