Basketball Recap: Nashville Takes Down Mater Dei in a Playoff Battle

It's playoff time, and Nashville had no trouble coming through when it counted. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Mater Dei Knights on Monday, sneaking past 51-48. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hornets have posted since December 21, 2024.

Maddox Ritzel

Points

02/24/25 vs Mater Dei	25
02/22/25 vs Metro-East Lutheran	32
02/18/25 @ DuQuoin	22
02/14/25 vs Pinckneyville	27

It was another big night for Maddox Ritzel, who went 9-for-14 en route to 25 points and five boards. The match was his fourth in a row with at least 22 points. Parker Schoenberg was another key player, putting up five points.

Mater Dei's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jared Hemker, who went 5-for-8 on his way to 11 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Elliott Rakers, who posted 13 points.

Nashville has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points over those games. Mater Dei's loss dropped their record down to 21-10.

Nashville has already played their next contest, a 38-36 defeat against Breese Central on the 26th. Mater Dei does not have any more games scheduled as of now.