Basketball Game Preview: Paul VI Panthers vs. Catholic Crusaders

The Paul VI Panthers will take on the Catholic Crusaders at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Paul VI is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 81-30 win over Episcopal. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked third in Virginia, while the Maroon are ranked 109th in Virginia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Sunday. They blew past Flint Hill 82-49 on Wednesday. The Crusaders have beaten the Huskies the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Huskies has come to flipping the script.

Catholic's victory was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-8. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.3 points over those games. As for Paul VI, their win bumped their record up to 21-9.

Paul VI strolled past Catholic in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 by a score of 59-41. Will Paul VI repeat their success, or does Catholic have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.