Basketball Game Preview: Tampa Catholic Crusaders vs. Wharton Wildcats

The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Wharton Wildcats at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

If Wharton heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Tampa Catholic took over last week. Tampa Catholic walked away with a 47-39 win over Booker on Thursday.

Tampa Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dominique Boone, who posted six points in addition to nine rebounds and four blocks. Boone is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Ashley Knox, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards.

Tampa Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Wharton duked it out withMiddleton on Friday. Wharton skirted past Middleton 44-41. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since January 29, 2024.

Tampa Catholic pushed their record up to 11-7 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.6 points per game. As for Wharton, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5.

Tampa Catholic didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Wharton in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 47-41 win. Will Tampa Catholic repeat their success, or does Wharton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.