Tampa Prep has enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Tampa Prep Terrapins and the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders will face off at 4:00 p.m. on December 28th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Tampa Prep knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine matchups -- so hopefully Clearwater Central Catholic likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, the stars were shining brightly for Tampa Prep in a 61-45 win over Plant. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Tampa Prep has scored all season.
Tampa Prep's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ben Jackson led the charge by scoring 15 points along with six rebounds. The contest was Jackson's third in a row with at least ten points. Chandler White Brooks was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Clearwater Central Catholic unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell to Lakewood Ranch 60-55. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Maxwell Messa, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds. He scored a full 34.5% of Clearwater Central Catholic's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Gio Sciandra, who scored 19 points.
Tampa Prep's win was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 24.58 points. As for Clearwater Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 8-2.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a blowout: Tampa Prep hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 70.3 points per game. It's a different story for Clearwater Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 54.6 points per game. The only thing between Tampa Prep and another offensive beatdown is Clearwater Central Catholic. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Tampa Prep came out on top in a nail-biter against Clearwater Central Catholic when the teams last played back in December of 2016, sneaking past 44-42. Does Tampa Prep have another victory up their sleeve, or will Clearwater Central Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
