Thursday Night Games To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023-2024 Florida High School Basketball season has officially tipped off. Prep Hoops Florida will be providing an in-depth look at the top matchups to watch each night during the season. Here are five games from across the Sunshine State on this Thursday evening:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jesuit at Wiregrass Ranch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The marquee matchup of the night in the greater Tampa Bay area, features the Jesuit Tigers (4-0) and the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls (2-0). The Tigers are relied on their two-headed monster duo between 6-2 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1433153' first='Nate' last='Boakye'] and 6-1 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055792' first='Chris' last='Moliere'] who are combining to average nearly 33 points per game to start the season. On the other side, The Bulls have some intriguing prospects at the guard position featuring 6-3 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1379527' first='KJ' last='Smith'], 6-4 senior wing Preston Linville and 6-0 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1293213' first='Jordan' last='Roque']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gateway (Fort Myers) at First Baptist Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gateway Eagles (1-0) are coming off an impressive 74-55 win over Oasis to begin the season, where they got key contributions from 6-3 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1457197' first='Tavian' last='Cook'] who had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine steals in the win. Another name to watch will be 6-0 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1171938' first='Tyler' last='Diaz'] who is coming off a 20 point, four rebound and two assist performance on their season-opening win. On the other side, The First Baptist Academy Lions (5-0) are led by 6-4 sophomore Hunter Babb who is an absolute force in the paint at both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lake Worth at NSU University School</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lake Worth Trojans (2-0) have picked up early season wins over St. John Paul II Academy and South Fork to begin the season where they got key contributions from 6-5 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1450212' first='Sean' last='Standifer'] and 6-8 senior wing Jeremiah Innocent. Another name to keep an eye on will be 6-6 senior small forward Hedrens Bartelus who plays with a ton of athleticism and confidence when scoring around the rim. The NSU University School Sharks (1-0) are coming off a thumping 67-31 win over American Heritage Plantation to kickoff the season. Keep an eye on 6-3 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1053913' first='Julian' last='Granville'] and 6-4 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2197843' first='Anthony' last='Ferrer'] in this matchup as they are lethal when it comes to shooting from beyond the arc. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">IMG Academy at Montverde Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Inaugural Sunshine Classic tips off tonight as four nationally ranked programs will take the center stage of Montverde Academy, as IMG Academy (1-0) take on Montverde Academy (6-0) in the nightcap. The Ascenders have loaded talent all over the floor led by 6-4 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2197298' first='Cole' last='Certa'] (Notre Dame commit), 6-2 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2145508' first='Darius' last='Acuff'], 6-9 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2197284' first='Donnie' last='Freeman'] (Syracuse commit) and 6-8 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1127315' first='Khani' last='Rooths'] (Michigan commit). The Eagles have several D-1 recruits on the floor as well where they will be led by 6-8 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1529069' first='Cooper' last='Flagg'] (Duke commit), 6-10 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1055578' first='Asa' last='Newell'] (Georgia commit), 6-8 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1125933' first='Liam' last='McNeeley'] (Indiana commit), 6-3 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1116063' first='Robert' last='Wright III'] (Baylor commit) and 6-10 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1089573' first='Derik' last='Queen']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Martin County at Fort Pierce Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Martin County Tigers (2-1) come into tonight's matchup on a two-game winning streak after dropping their season opener to South Plantation. The Tigers are headlined by 6-3 sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1660042' first='Ari' last='Smith'] who has the ability to knock down mid-range jump shots with confidence. Another name to watch out for will be 6-5 sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2134671' first='Brandon' last='Brazell'] who does most of his damage work around the rim where he is very quick to get rebounds as well as finishing off lobs thrown at him. On the other side, The Fort Pierce Central Cobras (0-1) are coming off a 62-56 season-opening loss to Blanche Ely. The Cobras have two of the most efficient perimeter shooters in the state featuring 6-2 junior guards Christian and [player_tooltip player_id='1301751' first='Christopher' last='Maxon']. Another name to watch for the Cobras will be 6-4 junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1620357' first='Joseph' last='Gayle'] who is a dynamic athlete where he can finish above the rim, as well as considered to be an above-average rebounder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->