The Norfolk Collegiate Mighty Oaks will challenge the Peninsula Catholic Knights at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Norfolk Collegiate comes in on three and Peninsula Catholic on four.
Norfolk Collegiate will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Cape Henry Collegiate, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Norfolk Collegiate came out on top in a nail-biter against Cape Henry Collegiate on Tuesday, sneaking past 50-48. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Mighty Oaks have posted since December 7, 2024.
Norfolk Collegiate got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Justin Burrough out in front who dropped a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds. What's more, Burrough also racked up seven blocks, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Josh Mills, who went 9-for-13 en route to 19 points.
Meanwhile, Peninsula Catholic earned a 63-50 victory over Norfolk Academy on Tuesday. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 195th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Peninsula Catholic's win came from a few key players Norfolk Collegiate will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zyon McClone, who posted 17 points. Justin Hunter was another key player, putting up 14 points.
Peninsula Catholic pushed their record up to 23-9 with the win, which was their 12th straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points over those games. As for Norfolk Collegiate, their victory bumped their record up to 16-7.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Norfolk Collegiate and Peninsula Catholic are some of the highest-scoring teams around. Norfolk Collegiate hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 65.1 points per game. However, it's not like Peninsula Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 63.3 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.
Norfolk Collegiate came up short against Peninsula Catholic in their previous matchup back in January, falling 82-72. Can Norfolk Collegiate avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
