Basketball Game Preview: Springfield Catholic Fighting Irish vs. McDonald County Mustangs

The Springfield Catholic Fighting Irish will face off against the McDonald County Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. McDonald County took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Springfield Catholic, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, Springfield Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Mt. Vernon, taking the game 51-40. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Fighting Irish.

Meanwhile, McDonald County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 72-43 loss at the hands of Marshfield. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while the Bluejays are ranked 34th).

Springfield Catholic will have to keep a close watch on Jamie Washam and Dakota O'Brien, a pair of players who had a big impact on McDonald County's prior game. Washam dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten boards, while O'Brien posted 19 points along with seven steals and six rebounds. That was a full 44.2% of McDonald County's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Brionna Ziemianin also deserves some recognition as she scored her first points of the season.

Even though they lost, McDonald County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

McDonald County's loss dropped their record down to 6-8. As for Springfield Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.