Preview: Providence Classical vs. Lee Park Prep Knights
Providence Classical is 0-3 against Lee Park Prep since December of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. Having just played yesterday, Providence Classical will get right back to it and host the Lee Park Prep Knights at 6:30 p.m. on February 9th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
A well-balanced attack led Providence Classical over St. Anne Catholic in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Providence Classical blew St. Anne Catholic out of the water with a 75-38 final score. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 41-14.
Providence Classical had a senior duo take command as Xan Rahalawicz dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds and Isaac Martin dropped a double-double on 20 points and 15 rebounds. Rahalawicz has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 20 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Lahr, who scored six points along with 13 rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Lee Park Prep had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat St. Anne Catholic 70-33 at home. Lee Park Prep pushed the score to 62-23 by the end of the third, a deficit St. Anne Catholic cut but never quite recovered from.
Lee Park Prep can attribute much of their success to Cole O' Donoghue, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds, and Isaac Watkins, who went 7 for 14 from beyond the arc en route to 31 points and 5 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Watkins has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jackson Tyson, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds and five blocks.
Providence Classical's win bumped their record up to 13-8. As for Lee Park Prep, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Providence Classical have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lee Park Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Providence Classical might still be hurting after the 70-48 loss they got from Lee Park Prep in their previous meeting back in January. Will Providence Classical have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
