Basketball Game Preview: Catholic Crusaders vs. Paul VI Panthers

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

Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They breezed past Flint Hill to the tune of 82-49. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Huskies recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Paul VI against Episcopal on Wednesday as the squad secured an 81-30 win. 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.

Catholic pushed their record up to 20-8 with the victory, which was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season. 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.

Catholic ended up a good deal behind Paul VI in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, losing 59-41. Can Catholic avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.