Preview: Bell Creek Academy Panthers vs. Santa Fe Catholic Hawks
The Bell Creek Academy Panthers are on the road again on Saturday and plays the Santa Fe Catholic Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on February 10th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Bell Creek Academy walked away with it. They blew past the Vikings 67-40 on the road on Thursday. Given Bell Creek Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 145th, while Lakeland Christian is ranked 292nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bell Creek Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Caleb Sanders, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sanders hasn't dropped below two steals for 13 straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Jermal Jones, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe Catholic put the finishing touches on their 15th blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They put the hurt on Seffner Christian with a sharp 64-44 victory. The score was close at the half, but Santa Fe Catholic pulled away in the second half with 35 points.
Santa Fe Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Toby Lane, who scored nine points along with eight assists and eight steals. Lane hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Tate Darner, who scored 16 points along with seven assists and two steals.
Bell Creek Academy is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-11 record this season. As for Santa Fe Catholic, they pushed their record up to 23-4 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bell Creek Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Santa Fe Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bell Creek Academy was able to grind out a solid win over Santa Fe Catholic in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, winning 44-31. Will Bell Creek Academy repeat their success, or does Santa Fe Catholic have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
