Basketball Game Preview: Tampa Catholic Crusaders vs. San Jose Prep Storm

The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will face off against the San Jose Prep Storm at 10:20 a.m. on Friday. One thing working in Tampa Catholic's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Tampa Catholic is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their game on Saturday with ease, bagging a 72-37 victory over Victory Christian Academy. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 35 points or more this season.

Ashley Knox

Points

11/29/25 vs Victory Christian Academy	28
11/28/25 vs Edgewater	23
11/25/25 vs Bell Creek Academy	19
11/21/25 @ Evangelical Christian	10
11/18/25 vs St. Petersburg	30

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Tampa Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ashley Knox, who shot 56% from the field on her way to 28 points and three steals. Knox continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kelsey Sharpe, who went 8-for-14 to rack up 19 points along with five boards and four steals.

Tampa Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for San Jose Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They pulled ahead with a 67-66 photo finish over North Florida Educational Institute on Tuesday. The Storm haven't had any issues with the Fighting Eagles recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Tampa Catholic's record is now 5-0. As for San Jose Prep, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Tampa Catholic came up short against San Jose Prep when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 59-55. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.