Two dominant guards in Jay Matthews and Collin Jefferson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Cocoa Beach Minutemen's road trip will continue as they head out to face the John Carroll Catholic Rams at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Cocoa Beach will be strutting in after a win while John Carroll Catholic will be coming in after a defeat.
Even though Cocoa Beach has not done well against Satellite recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Cocoa Beach took down Satellite 52-38. The victory was all the more spectacular given Cocoa Beach's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 481st, while Satellite is ranked 174th).
Matthews was his usual excellent self, scoring 18 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Max Louis, who scored eight points along with 15 rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, John Carroll Catholic's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They took a 54-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of Westwood. John Carroll Catholic found out winning isn't easy when you're outrebounded 16 to 9 on offense.
John Carroll Catholic's defeat came about despite a quality game from Caden Johnson, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds and five steals. Johnson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jefferson was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with three steals.
Cocoa Beach's win bumped their record up to 11-7. As for John Carroll Catholic, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season.
Tuesday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Cocoa Beach have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for John Carroll Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 24.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cocoa Beach was dealt a bruising 66-24 defeat at the hands of John Carroll Catholic in their previous meeting back in December of 2021. The contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Cocoa Beach was down 39-10.
