Preview: St. Mary's Academy Wildcats vs. Jefferson Academy Jaguars
St. Mary's Academy is 2-8 against Jefferson Academy since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The St. Mary's Academy Wildcats will look to defend their home court against the Jefferson Academy Jaguars at 6:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
St. Mary's Academy posted their biggest win yet this season on Thursday. They put the hurt on Prospect Ridge Academy with a sharp 43-19 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory St. Mary's Academy has posted against Prospect Ridge Academy since February 9, 2018.
It was another big night for Emily Rodriguez, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and six steals. She hasn't dropped below two steals for eight straight games. Isabel Hernandez was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds and six steals.
Meanwhile, Jefferson Academy waltzed into their contest on Saturday with three straight wins but they left with four. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Stargate School 45-3 at home. With Jefferson Academy ahead 27-2 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Jefferson Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Elsa Nygren, who scored 14 points along with five steals and two blocks. Nygren has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylin Chichirico, who scored 14 points along with three steals.
St. Mary's Academy now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Jefferson Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: St. Mary's Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 43 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jefferson Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30.4 rebounds per game. Given St. Mary's Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Jefferson Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
St. Mary's Academy took a serious blow against Jefferson Academy in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, falling 52-23. Thankfully for St. Mary's Academy, Allie Jo Kirkpatrick (who scored 15 points along with eight steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
