The Villages Charter Buffalo will take on the Santa Fe Catholic Hawks at 6:20 p.m. on Saturday. The Villages Charter knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 17 matchups -- so hopefully Santa Fe Catholic likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, The Villages Charter beat Zephyrhills Christian Academy 74-65. Given the Buffalo's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 16th, while the Warriors are ranked 148th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jared Thompson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 9 for 15 on his way to 19 points in addition to five boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Herly Brutus, who posted eight points along with nine rebounds and six assists.
The Villages Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe Catholic waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victor by a 72-47 margin over the Crusaders. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 22 points or more this season.
Santa Fe Catholic's win came from a few key players The Villages Charter will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ethan Knox, who went 7 of 16 on his way to 19 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Toby Lane, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 14 points in addition to six assists and five boards.
Santa Fe Catholic pushed their record up to 9-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.5 points. As for The Villages Charter, their win bumped their record up to 14-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: The Villages Charter has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Santa Fe Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
