The Santa Fe Catholic Hawks will head out to take on the Lake Wales Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Santa Fe Catholic's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five games.
Santa Fe Catholic's tournament run continued when they took on Maclay on Saturday. Santa Fe Catholic took their match with ease, bagging a 59-31 victory over Maclay. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 22 points or more this season.
01/25/25 vs Maclay | 24 |
01/24/25 vs Foundation Academy | 34 |
01/22/25 @ Winter Haven | 25 |
01/18/25 vs Bishop Verot | 26 |
01/14/25 @ Victory Christian Academy | 18 |
01/11/25 vs The Villages Charter | 20 |
It was another big night for Tate Darner, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 rebounds. The game was his sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Toby Lane, who posted eight points along with five assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, Lake Wales didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Ocoee on Monday, but they still walked away with a 62-56 win. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Highlanders' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 383rd, while the Knights are ranked 185th).
Lake Wales' win came from a few key players Santa Fe Catholic will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Siled Morris, who had 20 points. Bradley Auguste was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and 13 boards.
Lake Wales smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.
Santa Fe Catholic has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.4 points per game. As for Lake Wales, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-11.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Santa Fe Catholic just can't miss this season, having drained 49.4% of their shots per game. It's a different story for Lake Wales, though, as they've only drained 34% of their field goals this season. Given Santa Fe Catholic's sizable advantage in that area, Lake Wales will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Santa Fe Catholic against Lake Wales in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 76-42 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Santa Fe Catholic since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.