Basketball Game Preview: Marquette Catholic Blazers vs. 21st Century Charter Cougars

The Marquette Catholic Blazers will square off against the 21st Century Charter Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Marquette Catholic has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 7.

Two weeks ago, Marquette Catholic was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 44-43 to Bowman Academy.

Despite their defeat, Marquette Catholic saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cole Dobre, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Those 13 boards gave Dobre a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aleks Pecoski, who posted ten points.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when 21st Century Charter challenged East Chicago Central on Friday. 21st Century Charter took a 58-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of East Chicago Central. The loss continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now lost three in a row.

Like Marquette Catholic, 21st Century Charter lost despite seeing results from several players. Terrence Hayes led the charge by putting up 16 points in addition to five rebounds and three blocks. Hayes has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 19 times he's played. Jacolby Donaldson was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 14 points.

Marquette Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for 21st Century Charter, their loss ended a ten-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 13-4.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Marquette Catholic has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like 21st Century Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Marquette Catholic might still be hurting after the 69-45 defeat they got from 21st Century Charter when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Marquette Catholic avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.