Basketball Game Preview: St. Genevieve Valiants vs. Verbum Dei Jesuit Eagles

Having just played yesterday, the St. Genevieve Valiants will head out on the road to face off against the Verbum Dei Jesuit Eagles at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: St. Genevieve has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Verbum Dei Jesuit will arrive with seven straight wins.

St. Genevieve is headed into the contest having just suffered their closest defeat since December 13, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary by a score of 69-67.

Meanwhile, Verbum Dei Jesuit blew past La Salle, posting a 67-36 victory. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 313th, while the Lancers are ranked 649th), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Verbum Dei Jesuit's win came from a few key players St. Genevieve will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Harper Whitman, who went 5 of 6 on his way to 14 points and four steals. That's the most steals he has posted since back in November of 2024. Reese Whitman was another key player, going 5 for 6 en route to 14 points and five boards.

Verbum Dei Jesuit has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for St. Genevieve, their loss dropped their record down to 10-13.

St. Genevieve lost to Verbum Dei Jesuit on the road by a decisive 67-51 margin when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Can St. Genevieve avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.