Palmetto Ridge is on a 16-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Gateway Charter is on a four-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Palmetto Ridge Bears will be home for the holidays to greet the Gateway Charter Griffins at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Saturday, Palmetto Ridge escaped with a win against Port Charlotte by the margin of a single free throw, 36-35. Despite the win, that was the fewest points Palmetto Ridge has scored all season.
Calven Charles was his usual excellent self, scoring 14 points along with eight rebounds and eight blocks. Those eight blocks set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was DJ Holmes, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Gateway Charter scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They took down Cypress Lake 81-63. Given Gateway Charter's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 71st, while Cypress Lake is ranked 261st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Palmetto Ridge's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Gateway Charter, their win bumped their record up to 6-4.
Everything came up roses for Palmetto Ridge against Gateway Charter when the teams last played back in December of 2015 as the team secured a 79-50 victory. Will Palmetto Ridge repeat their success, or does Gateway Charter have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
