Basketball Game Preview: Pope John Paul II Knights vs. Ensworth Tigers

Pope John Paul II is on a eight-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Ensworth is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Pope John Paul II Knights will welcome the Ensworth Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Pope John Paul II knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 16 matchups -- so hopefully Ensworth likes a good challenge.

Pope John Paul II is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Tennessee's top teams: Briarcrest Christian, who was ranked 12th at the time (Pope John Paul II was ranked second). Pope John Paul II narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Briarcrest Christian 72-70. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted since January 25th.

Trey Pearson went supernova for Pope John Paul II, going 9 of 12 on his way to 25 points and seven rebounds. That's the most points Pearson has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Osby Cavin, who went 6 of 11 on his way to 19 points.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Ensworth duked it out withEustis on Monday. Ensworth put the hurt on Eustis with a sharp 61-41 victory.

Ensworth is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points per game. As for Pope John Paul II, their win bumped their record up to 15-1.

Pope John Paul II was able to grind out a solid victory over Ensworth when the teams last played back in February, winning 67-56. Will Pope John Paul II repeat their success, or does Ensworth have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.