Mandarin has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Ridgeview Panthers at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mandarin has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 21 points or more this season. They took their game at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 63-28 victory over Bartram Trail. Given Mandarin's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while Bartram Trail is ranked 287th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Nykeria Thomas, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. She hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Kiyana Hunter, who scored 18 points.
Meanwhile, Ridgeview came tearing into Tuesday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Creekside by a score of 51-38. That's two games straight that Ridgeview has won by exactly 13 points.
Mandarin's win bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Ridgeview, they pushed their record up to 6-3 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road.
Mandarin ended up a good deal behind Ridgeview in their previous meeting last Tuesday, losing 54-39. Can Mandarin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
