Two dominant in Isaiah Allen and KJ Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Lakewood Ranch has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Wiregrass Ranch will arrive with three straight wins.
Lakewood Ranch pushed their score all the way to 67 on Monday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 77-67 to Braden River. While losing is never fun, Lakewood Ranch can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 397th, while Braden River is ranked 119th).
Despite their loss, Lakewood Ranch saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. David Young, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Young has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Allen, who scored 17 points.
Even though they lost, Lakewood Ranch were working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Wiregrass Ranch scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Gainesville 88-58 on the road. Wiregrass Ranch has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 25 points or more this season.
Smith continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 27 points along with five assists. Donovan Gaines was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five assists and two steals.
Lakewood Ranch has not been sharp recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for Wiregrass Ranch, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-2 record this season.
