The Mandarin Mustangs will head out to take on the KIPP Bold City Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Mandarin comes in on three and KIPP Bold City on six.
Last Tuesday, Mandarin was able to grind out a solid win over Sandalwood, taking the game 60-47. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 168th, while the Saints are ranked 438th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, KIPP Bold City was fully in charge on Wednesday, breezing past Joshua Christian Academy 68-29. That 39 point margin sets a new team best for the Greyhounds this season.
Mandarin better keep an eye on Joel Hunt. He was instrumental in KIPP Bold City's win, going 6 of 11 en route to 18 points along with five assists and three steals. Hunt has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 14 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Banks, who went 5 for 10 on his way to 14 points and three steals.
KIPP Bold City was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.
KIPP Bold City's victory was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-4. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.0 points per game. As for Mandarin, their win bumped their record up to 14-4.
Mandarin took their victory against KIPP Bold City in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 81-59. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was KIPP Bold City's Maalik Belford, who went 9 of 17 en route to 21 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Mandarin still be able to contain Belford? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
