Preview: John Carroll Catholic Rams vs. Cardinal Newman Crusaders
Two dominant guards in Collin Jefferson and Jermaine Council are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The John Carroll Catholic Rams will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Cardinal Newman Crusaders on February 8th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
With a playoff game on the line, John Carroll Catholic rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They blew past the Hurricanes 69-46.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Newman came tearing into Thursday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by Benjamin at home to the tune of 77-46. Cardinal Newman has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 23 points or more this season.
Cardinal Newman got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Alex Grande out in front who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Grande is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Council, who scored 19 points along with three steals.
John Carroll Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-15 record this season. As for Cardinal Newman, they pushed their record up to 20-5 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
John Carroll Catholic was dealt a bruising 74-43 defeat at the hands of Cardinal Newman when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can John Carroll Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
