Basketball Game Preview: Lakewood Ranch Mustangs vs. Parrish Community Bulls

The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will head out to challenge the Parrish Community Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lakewood Ranch has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with four straight losses, while Parrish Community will come in with three straight wins.

Last Tuesday, Lakewood Ranch lost to Manatee at home by a 90-72 margin. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 593rd, while the Hurricanes are ranked 256th).

Despite their defeat, Lakewood Ranch saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Liam Scalzo, who went 10 of 21 en route to 30 points and five boards, was perhaps the best of all. Those 30 points gave Scalzo a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Wes Henry, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.

Even though they lost, Lakewood Ranch smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Parrish Community didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Braden River on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 52-46 victory.

Parrish Community pushed their record up to 11-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.0 points per game. As for Lakewood Ranch, their loss dropped their record down to 3-13.

Lakewood Ranch lost to Parrish Community on the road by a decisive 57-43 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can Lakewood Ranch avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.