Tampa Catholic is 10-0 against Jesuit since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Tampa Catholic Crusaders will look to defend their home court against the Jesuit Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Tampa Catholic will be looking to keep their ten-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.
Tampa Catholic scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 97-72 margin over George Jenkins. Given Tampa Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 99th, while George Jenkins is ranked 553rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Colby Cannizzaro, who went 8 for 15 from beyond the arc en route to 37 points and 2 assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Tampa Catholic's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Campbell-Finch, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 assists.
In what's become a running theme this season, Jesuit gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They put the hurt on King with a sharp 75-50 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Jesuit has posted since December 2, 2023.
Tyler Caouette and Nate Boakye were among the main playmakers for Jesuit as the former scored 14 points along with nine rebounds and three steals and the latter scored 22 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. That's the first time this season that Caouette pulled down eight or more rebounds. Morty Hanlon was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with six steals.
Tampa Catholic's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-11. As for Jesuit, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Tampa Catholic have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 43.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Jesuit struggles in that department as they've nailed 44.8% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Tampa Catholic strolled past Jesuit in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 80-61. Will Tampa Catholic repeat their success, or does Jesuit have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
