Wiregrass Ranch has gone 8-2 against Wesley Chapel recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wesley Chapel Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Wiregrass Ranch sitting on five straight wins and Wesley Chapel on six.
Last Tuesday, Wiregrass Ranch didn't have too much trouble with Carrollwood Day as they won 82-67. Given the Bulls' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 28th, while the Patriots are ranked 211th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/10/24 vs Carrollwood Day | 19 |
| 12/06/24 @ Jesuit | 20 |
| 12/04/24 @ Cypress Creek | 23 |
| 11/26/24 vs Sickles | 31 |
| 11/25/24 vs Lake Region | 15 |
| 11/22/24 @ Williston | 23 |
It was another big night for Kj Smith, who posted 19 points along with eight boards and five assists. The contest was his sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ajayden Jenkins, who had 14 points and three steals.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wesley Chapel). They strolled past Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 87-71.
Wesley Chapel had a senior duo take command as Ethan Hicks went 11 of 24 on his way to 33 points in addition to eight steals and seven boards and Sian Morris dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hicks has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Peat, who posted ten points along with six rebounds and three blocks.
Wiregrass Ranch's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 79.6 points per game. As for Wesley Chapel, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wiregrass Ranch has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Wesley Chapel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wiregrass Ranch strolled past Wesley Chapel when the teams last played back in February by a score of 87-71. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Hicks, who went 9 of 17 on his way to 23 points and seven steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Wiregrass Ranch still be able to contain Hicks? There's only one way to find out.
