Basketball Recap: Make It Five in a Row for Servite

Servite won the last time they faced Verbum Dei Jesuit and things went their way on Thursday too. It was close, but the Servite Friars capped 2024 with a 54-51 win over the Verbum Dei Jesuit Eagles. Given the Friars' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while the Eagles are ranked 440th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Servite to victory, but perhaps none more so than Alex Pak, who posted 12 points along with five assists and five steals. With that strong performance, Pak is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Schutt, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 19 boards.

Ryan Figueroa and Harper Whitman certainly did their best on Thursday to avoid the loss. Figueroa earned 20 points and seven rebounds, while Whitman put up 19 points. Another player making a difference was Chase Coleman, who posted five points.

The victory was the fifth in a row for Servite, bringing their record for this year to 9-2. As for Verbum Dei Jesuit, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season.

Servite didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 58-43 win against Taft on the 27th. As for Verbum Dei Jesuit, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 61-53 loss against Mater Academy East Las Vegas on the 27th.