Preview: Jesuit Crusaders vs. McMinnville Grizzlies
Jesuit has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. The Jesuit Crusaders and the McMinnville Grizzlies will round out the year against one another at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Jesuit has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 23 points or more this season. They blew past Liberty 44-14 at home. Given Jesuit's advantage in MaxPreps' Oregon basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Liberty is ranked 178th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kendra Hicks was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 16 rebounds. The matchup was her fourth in a row with at least ten points. Audrey Bayless was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Even though McMinnville has not done well against Oregon City recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. McMinnville secured a 56-52 W over Oregon City. The win made it back-to-back wins for McMinnville.
Jesuit's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for McMinnville, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Jesuit strolled past McMinnville when the teams last played back in December of 2018 by a score of 52-37. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jesuit since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
