Basketball Game Preview: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders vs. Carlsbad Lancers

The Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will head out on the road to face off against the Carlsbad Lancers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Mater Dei Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 66-40 margin over Liberty. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Carlsbad, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They came out on top against Escondido Charter by a score of 73-63 on Tuesday.

Carlsbad has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a massive bump to their 20-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.4 points over those games. Mater Dei Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 18-13.

Mater Dei Catholic beat Carlsbad 59-48 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mater Dei Catholic since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.