The Bradenton Christian Panthers will take on the Cardinal Mooney Cougars at TBD on Friday. Bradenton Christian will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 190th, while the Cougars are ranked 13th).
Bradenton Christian unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost to Keswick Christian at home by a decisive 54-39 margin. Bradenton Christian has struggled against the Crusaders recently, as their game on Thursday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their defeat, Bradenton Christian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Katherine Mercer, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Taylor Blunden, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney came tearing into Friday's match with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 51-43 victory over Sarasota.
Cardinal Mooney's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bri Behn led the charge by scoring 15 points along with six rebounds. Behn continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Kali Barrett was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.
Bradenton Christian's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 16-8. As for Cardinal Mooney, they pushed their record up to 17-6 with that victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bradenton Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Mooney struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bradenton Christian was dealt a bruising 70-30 defeat at the hands of the Cougars when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Bradenton Christian, Olivia Davis (who scored 21 points along with two steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
