Basketball Game Preview: Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders vs. Thomas Jefferson Campus Orange Wave

The Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders will square off against the Thomas Jefferson Campus Orange Wave at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Archbishop Stepinac sitting on five straight wins and Thomas Jefferson Campus on 22.

Archbishop Stepinac is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup last Sunday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past St. Raymond Boys 63-61. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Crusaders have posted since January 24th.

Archbishop Stepinac's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Hassan Koureissi, who posted 13 points and eight boards. Another player making a difference was Adonis Ratliff, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson Campus faced Eagle Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. In a tight match that could have gone either way, Thomas Jefferson Campus made off with a 56-55 victory over Eagle Academy. The 56-point effort marked the Orange Wave's lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Thomas Jefferson Campus' win came from a few key players Archbishop Stepinac will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Connor Sprattley, who put up 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Malachi Wilson, who had 13 points.

Thomas Jefferson Campus' win was their 23rd straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 31-1. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 96.2 points over those games. As for Archbishop Stepinac, their victory bumped their record up to 25-4.