Basketball Game Preview: Father McGivney Catholic Griffins vs. Metro-East Lutheran Knights

Father McGivney Catholic hasn't had much luck against Metro-East Lutheran recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Father McGivney Catholic Griffins are taking a road trip to face off against the Metro-East Lutheran Knights at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Father McGivney Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Valmeyer as they won 66-49.

Father McGivney Catholic got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Owen Kolesa out in front who went 8 for 17 on his way to 21 points and eight boards. The dominant performance gave Kolesa a new career-high in rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of David Carroll, who posted ten points in addition to seven boards and five assists.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Metro-East Lutheran, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They took their matchup on Wednesday with ease, bagging a 74-46 win over SIUE East St. Louis Charter. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 229th, while the Cougars are ranked 603rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Metro-East Lutheran's victory bumped their record up to 12-9. As for Father McGivney Catholic, the win got them back to even at 12-12.

Father McGivney Catholic came up short against Metro-East Lutheran in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 69-64. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Metro-East Lutheran's Thijson Heard, who went 9 of 12 from beyond the arc en route to 39 points. Now that Father McGivney Catholic knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.