After both having extra time off, the Citrus Hurricanes and the Wildwood Wildcats will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Citrus has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Wildwood will arrive with five straight wins.
Citrus is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Springstead two weeks ago (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Citrus had to suffer through a 77-38 loss at the hands of Springstead. The Hurricanes were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 47-21.
The match pitted two dominant forwards against one another in Ashton Jenkins and Zion McKenzie. McKenzie had a great game and went 10 for 14 on his way to 23 points and six steals. Meanwhile, Jenkins did his best for the losing side, putting up eight points and six rebounds.
While Wildwood didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They breezed by East Ridge to the tune of 77-48 last Friday. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 24 points or more this season.
Citrus better keep an eye on Louis Brown. He was instrumental in Wildwood's win, going 9 of 15 on his way to 22 points. The dominant performance gave Brown a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Traeston Armstrong, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 16 points and three steals.
Wildwood was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Ridge only racked up five assists.
Wildwood is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. As for Citrus, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Citrus has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Wildwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Citrus took a serious blow against Wildwood in their previous meeting back in November, falling 88-54. Will Citrus have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
