Lakeland has been on the road for four straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Lakeland 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 431st, while Tampa Catholic is ranked 132nd).
After low-scoring totals in their previous three contests, Lakeland brought some dynamite into their most recent match. They enjoyed a cozy 55-38 win over Bartow on Monday. The victory was just what Lakeland needed coming off of a 54-7 loss in their prior match.
Lakeland found their leader in underclassman Zakharia Rutledge, who scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Rutledge also posted two blocks for the first time this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Antwanique Cave, who scored ten points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic was just a bucket shy of victory on Friday and fell 48-47 to Academy of the Holy Names. Tampa Catholic has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Lakeland's win bumped their record up to 3-7. As for Tampa Catholic, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season.
