It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They skirted past St. Petersburg Catholic 53-51. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Clearwater Central Catholic has posted yet this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Clearwater Central Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Gio Sciandra, who scored 16 points. Maxwell Messa was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds.
St. Petersburg Catholic's loss came despite strong showings from Nick Berry and Tj Newton. Berry dropped a double-double on 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Newton scored 12 points along with six rebounds. Berry is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last nine games he's played.
The win (which was Clearwater Central Catholic's third in a row) raised their record to 12-5. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for St. Petersburg Catholic, their loss was their fifth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 3-11.
Clearwater Central Catholic will take on Northside Christian at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Northside Christian has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 5. As for St. Petersburg Catholic, they will head out on the road to take on Neumann at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
