Basketball Game Preview: Newman Catholic Knights vs. St. Ansgar Saints

Newman Catholic hasn't had much luck against St. Ansgar recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Newman Catholic Knights will take on the St. Ansgar Saints at 6:15 p.m.

Last Tuesday, Newman Catholic was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 45-39 to Central Springs.

Meanwhile, St. Ansgar was fully in charge on Tuesday, breezing past Northwood-Kensett 66-38. The Saints have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 20 points or more this season.

St. Ansgar has also been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.1 points per game. As for Newman Catholic, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-7.

Newman Catholic came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Ansgar in their previous matchup back in January, sneaking past 50-47. The rematch might be a little tougher for Newman Catholic since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.