Preview: Catholic Central Crusaders vs. Steubenville Big Red
Two dominant forwards in Anna Arai and Nylah Mcshan are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Catholic Central Crusaders will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Steubenville Big Red at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Catholic Central is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Last Monday, Catholic Central was beaten by Monroe Central 61-29. While losing is never fun, Catholic Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 411th, while Monroe Central is ranked 181st).
Meanwhile, Steubenville waltzed into their match Saturday with three straight wins but they left with four. They put the hurt on Dover with a sharp 57-34 win. The result was nothing new for Steubenville, who have now won six contests by 20 points or more so far this season.
Steubenville's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mcshan, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. The game was Mcshan's eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Madalyn Criss, who scored 15 points.
Catholic Central's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Steubenville, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
Things could have been worse for Catholic Central, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 51-37 loss to Steubenville in their previous meeting back in February. Can Catholic Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
