This week’s best games:
No. 1 Boca Raton (14-5) at No. 2 Oxbridge (18-4), 6 p.m. Wednesday:
The Bobcats turned the 1-versus-3 matchup with Palm Beach Lakes into a blowout, and their reward is a showdown with the No. 2 team in the county a few days later. This game has game-of-the-year potential. These two teams have nine losses between them, but they’ve nearly come at the
hands of strong out-of-county teams (with the exception of the Thunder Wolves’ four
point loss to Palm Beach Lakes). These two teams are evenly matched, with both boasting multiple players who can go for
double-digit points every night. Both the Bobcats and Thunder Wolves could be Lakeland-bound again this year, and this game will be a good test for both.
No. 6 Palm Beach Gardens (13-4) at No. 7 Wellington, 7:30 p.m. Thursday:
This game will play a large role in determining who gets the top seed in tough District 9-9A. These two teams have matched up once this year, with the Wolverines getting the better of the Gators in Palm Beach Gardens with a five-point win. Gardens may have an advantage this time around, though. The Gators have just one other game this week, against Jupiter tonight. For Wellington, Thursday’s game is the third in four days after matchups with Palm Beach Central and a Seminole Ridge team that’s 11-8.
No. 8 Jupiter (16-3) at No. 3 Palm Beach Lakes (15-3), 3:30 Saturday:
The Warriors have another important week, with key district games against Palm
Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Central. Saturday against Lakes is not a district game, but it should be good nonetheless. In their loss to Boca on Saturday, the Rams showed that a good defense can contain them. Jupiter has played well on defense all season, with opponents averaging about 35 points per game. But Lakes is better than most of its opponents, so whether or not the Rams break out of the Warriors’ defensive chokehold will likely determine the outcome of the game.