Basketball Game Preview: Countryside Cougars vs. Mitchell Mustangs

Two dominant guards in Corey Perlin and Eli Wilson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Countryside Cougars will welcome the Mitchell Mustangs at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Friday, Countryside blew past Anclote, posting a 67-14 victory. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 168th, while the Sharks are ranked 561st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Countryside had a senior duo take command as Perlin went 9 for 14 en route to 21 points along with eight rebounds and five assists and Carter Padags went 8 of 15 on his way to 21 points and five boards. Perlin has been hot recently, having also posted three or more steals the last four times he's played. Bryce Meier was another key player, putting up six points in addition to five boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Mitchell was able to grind out a solid win over Wesley Chapel on Tuesday, taking the game 64-51. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.

Countryside pushed their record up to 12-6 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.7 points per game. As for Mitchell, they now have a winning record of 10-9.

Countryside came up short against Mitchell in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 58-51. Thankfully for Countryside, Ben Unger (who posted 21 points along with seven rebounds and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.