Basketball Game Preview: Lake Worth Christian Defenders vs. Pine Knights

The Lake Worth Christian Defenders will face off against the Pine Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Lake Worth Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Pine likes a good challenge.

Last Friday, Lake Worth Christian humbled Coral Shores with an 83-50 victory. The Defenders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 20 points or more this season.

Landen Harwood was his usual excellent self, going 12 for 17 on his way to 28 points and eight steals. The game was his 11th in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Nick Gallo, who went 7 of 15 en route to 16 points.

Lake Worth Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Pine had no problem doing just that on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 62-22. The contest marked the Knights' most dominant victory of the season.

Pine's win came from a few key players Lake Worth Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Wade Singleton, who went 7 for 12 on his way to 15 points along with eight boards and five assists. He is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last five games he's played. Maverick Wycoki was another key player, going 6 of 10 en route to 16 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

Lake Worth Christian's win bumped their record up to 15-10. As for Pine, they now have a winning record of 13-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lake Worth Christian has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Lake Worth Christian took their victory against Pine when the teams last played back in January by a conclusive 61-41. Will Lake Worth Christian repeat their success, or does Pine have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.