Basketball Game Preview: Maplewood Rockets vs. John F. Kennedy Catholic Eagles

The Maplewood Rockets will head out to take on the John F. Kennedy Catholic Eagles at 1:45 p.m. on Friday. Maplewood will be coming into the match with an undefeated record on the line.

If Maplewood beats John F. Kennedy Catholic with 55 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Maplewood blew past Liberty 55-19 on Monday. The Rockets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy Catholic came up short against Perry on Saturday and fell 53-44. The matchup marked the Eagles' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Despite the defeat, John F. Kennedy Catholic saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Didi Ryan posted 14 points and five steals. Ryan is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least five every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gianna Pompelia, who went 6 of 15 on her way to 14 points.

Even though they lost, John F. Kennedy Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive games.

John F. Kennedy Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 9-2. As for Maplewood, their win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0.

Maplewood ended up a good deal behind John F. Kennedy Catholic in their previous meeting back in January of 2017, losing 47-29. Can Maplewood avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.