The North Tampa Christian Academy Titans came tearing into Saturday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Bishop Verot 62-59. Given North Tampa Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while Bishop Verot is ranked 90th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Tampa Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Toni Bryant, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Bryant is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Landyn Colyer, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Despite the loss, Bishop Verot still got an impressive performance from Jerry Ashley, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 12 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ashley has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Leroy Roker, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds and eight assists.
North Tampa Christian Academy's win bumped their record up to 20-2. As for Bishop Verot, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. North Tampa Christian Academy and Sunlake will face off at 6:30 p.m. on January 22nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Sunlake is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road. As for Bishop Verot, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against LaBelle at 7:00 p.m. That game will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Alan King jr and Gavin Williams.
