Preview: Norfolk Collegiate Mighty Oaks vs. Steward Spartans
The Norfolk Collegiate Mighty Oaks will head out on the road to challenge the Steward Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Norfolk Collegiate's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last eight matchups.
Norfolk Collegiate stacked a 12th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 75-50 margin over Atlantic Shores Christian. Given Norfolk Collegiate's advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while Atlantic Shores Christian is ranked 191st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Justin Burrough and Brennan Chatman were among the main playmakers for Norfolk Collegiate as the former scored 21 points along with six rebounds and five assists and the latter scored 23 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Burrough hasn't dropped below two steals for eight straight games. Another player making a difference was Rashaad Williams, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten assists.
Meanwhile, Steward made easy work of Deep Run on Saturday and carried off a 62-39 win.
Steward's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Xavier Nelson, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and five steals. LJ Vaughan was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with two steals.
Norfolk Collegiate is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 23-4 record this season. As for Steward, their victory bumped their record up to 14-10.
Norfolk Collegiate lost to Steward on the road by a decisive 63-48 margin in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Can Norfolk Collegiate avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
