Two dominant guards in Sumayah McIntosh and Ashley Knox are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lakewood Spartans will face off against the Tampa Catholic Crusaders on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lakewood is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They breezed by Berkeley Prep to the tune of 73-35. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 61st, while the Buccaneers are ranked 347th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sumayah McIntosh
| 02/04/25 vs Berkeley Prep | 7 |
| 01/31/25 @ Clearwater | 3 |
| 01/24/25 @ Cardinal Mooney | 4 |
| 01/23/25 @ Gibbs | 7 |
Lakewood had a senior duo take command as McIntosh went 7 of 15 on her way to 17 points along with seven steals and six assists and Alahni Lovett went 7 for 10 en route to 19 points and five steals. McIntosh is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mikayla Paschal, who posted eight points in addition to eight boards and three steals.
Lakewood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Tampa Catholic). They took their contest on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 76-4 victory over Winthrop College Prep Academy. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Crusaders with their most commanding win of the season.
Lakewood is also on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season. As for Tampa Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 16-10.
Lakewood didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Tampa Catholic when the teams last played back in December of 2014, but they still walked away with a 58-52 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Tampa Catholic's Alise Davis, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 18 rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Lakewood to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
