Basketball Game Preview: Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs vs. Monsignor Pace Spartans

The Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs will square off against the Monsignor Pace Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Cardinal Gibbons heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Friday. They lost to Pine Crest on the road by a 71-52 margin.

Meanwhile, Monsignor Pace won against Carol City on Thursday with 63 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Saturday. Monsignor Pace took their game with ease, bagging a 63-13 victory over iMater Charter. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 21 points or more this season.

Cardinal Gibbons better focus on containing Evelyn Cortes and Aleaijah Russell as the pair were huge in Monsignor Pace's win. Cortes dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 boards, while Russell went 8 of 10 on her way to 20 points and three steals. Cortes' morning made it 14 games in a row in which she has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Melissa Carrasco, who posted nine points.

Monsignor Pace was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Monsignor Pace is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-9 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 38.2 points. As for Cardinal Gibbons, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-8.

Cardinal Gibbons came up short against Monsignor Pace in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 57-53. Can Cardinal Gibbons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.