Tavares hasn't had much luck against East Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tavares Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Ridge Knights at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Monday, Tavares was able to grind out a solid victory over Freedom, taking the game 67-54.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Tavares to victory, but perhaps none more so than IZAYIA WILLIAMS, who went 8 for 13 on his way to 17 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of DYLAN CAMPBELL, who went 9 of 17 on his way to 20 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, East Ridge was just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 76-75 to Pasco.
Tavares will have to contain Jordan Corman as he made an impact in East Ridge's last game. He dropped a double-double on 26 points and 12 boards. Corman continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Julian Estevaz, who posted 20 points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, East Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
East Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Tavares, their win bumped their record up to 6-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tavares has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.2 boards per game. However, it's not like East Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Tavares and East Ridge were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, but Tavares came up empty-handed after a 71-70 loss. Will Tavares have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
