The Cardinal Mooney Cougars will square off against the Bradenton Christian Panthers at TBD on Friday. Cardinal Mooney will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
Last Friday, Cardinal Mooney beat the Sailors 51-43. Given Cardinal Mooney's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 13th, while the Sailors are ranked 65th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cardinal Mooney's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bri Behn, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds. Behn is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for three games straight. Kali Barrett was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bradenton Christian unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 54-39 bruising from Keswick Christian. Bradenton Christian has not had much luck with the Crusaders recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Katherine Mercer, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Blunden, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Cardinal Mooney is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. As for Bradenton Christian, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 16-8.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Cardinal Mooney have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bradenton Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Cardinal Mooney against the Panthers when the teams last played back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 70-30 victory. Will Cardinal Mooney repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
