St. John Paul II hasn't had much luck against Munroe recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the St. John Paul II Panthers duke it out with the Munroe Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. St. John Paul II is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55 points per game this season.
St. John Paul II is headed into Tuesday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their eighth straight game last Thursday. They took a 59-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of Godby. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 385th, while the Cougars are ranked 85th).
St. John Paul II might have lost, but man, Mario Forbes was a machine: he dropped a double-double on 24 points and 19 boards. That was a full 48% of St. John Paul II's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaron Nixon, who scored six points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, St. John Paul II smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Munroe, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Gadsden County 75-45. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Bobcats had established a 20 point advantage.
St. John Paul II better keep an eye on Zelden Chukes. He was instrumental in Munroe's win, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards. Chukes is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Kejuan Nealy was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds.
Munroe's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-7. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points per game. As for St. John Paul II, their loss dropped their record down to 7-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: St. John Paul II has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Munroe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
St. John Paul II came up short against Munroe when the teams last played two weeks ago, falling 59-52. Will St. John Paul II have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
