After a string of 14 wins, the Wharton Wildcats's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell to Tampa Catholic 47-41. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Wharton of the 58-43 loss they experienced in the two teams' previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2023.
Wharton's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tamara Bryant, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayla Grady, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Tampa Catholic found their leader in underclassman Ashley Knox, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Khalia Woodley, who scored 16 points along with two steals.
Wharton's loss ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-1. As for Tampa Catholic, they pushed their record up to 14-6 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Wharton will face off against Lennard at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Lennard will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 498th, while Wharton is ranked 64th). As for Tampa Catholic, they will head out on the road to take on Brookwood at 1:10 p.m. on Monday.
