A feisty cat fight will be fought when the First Baptist Academy Lions challenge the Clewiston Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Monday... First Baptist Academy is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.
First Baptist Academy will bounce into Monday's contest after beating Neumann, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. First Baptist Academy enjoyed a cozy 48-34 win over Neumann on Thursday. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 21st, while the Celtics are ranked 299th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/12/24 vs Neumann | 3 |
| 12/10/24 vs Bishop Verot | 3 |
| 12/06/24 @ Aubrey Rogers | 3 |
First Baptist Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Zara Leilani Stewart led the charge by going 6 for 12 on her way to 14 points and three steals. Leilani Stewart is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last three games she's played. Laila Stewart was another key player, putting up nine points.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Clewiston, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 44-22 margin over Avon Park on Friday. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 21 points or more this season.
Clewiston's win came from a few key players First Baptist Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kalyn Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten steals. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in assists (five). Tyra Fields was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and 11 boards.
Clewiston pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for First Baptist Academy, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: First Baptist Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Clewiston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
First Baptist Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Clewiston in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, sneaking past 38-35. Will First Baptist Academy repeat their success, or does Clewiston have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
