Preview: Cardinal O'Hara Hawks vs. Nichols Vikings
The Cardinal O'Hara Hawks will square off against the Nichols Vikings at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Cardinal O'Hara is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 21 games.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Cardinal O'Hara had no problem doing just that on Sunday. They blew past the Sharks 82-41 at home. Cardinal O'Hara has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Cardinal O'Hara's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kyla Hayes, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 15 rebounds. Hayes has been hot recently, having posted nine or more rebounds the last nine times she's played. Another player making a difference was Annabelle Day, who scored 20 points along with seven assists and six steals.
Nichols has not done well against St. Mary's recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Sunday. Nichols walked away with a 50-42 win over St. Mary's. The win made it back-to-back wins for Nichols.
It was another big night for Brianna Barr-buday, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 16 rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down ten or more in the last 11 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Madisen Wilson, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Cardinal O'Hara pushed their record up to 23-2 with that win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 32.3 points. As for Nichols, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Cardinal O'Hara have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Nichols struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Cardinal O'Hara against Nichols when the teams last played on February 8th as the team secured a 62-33 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cardinal O'Hara since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
