vs
| 12/29/22 - Neutral | 47-36 W |
| 12/30/21 - Neutral | 43-18 W |
| 02/20/20 - Home | 56-32 W |
Central has gone 3-0 against St. Francis recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. Having just played yesterday, the Central Rockets will jump right back in to play the St. Francis Spartans at 9:00 a.m. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Central and seven for St. Francis.
Central's tournament run continued when they took on Naperville North on Thursday. Central lost 65-44 to Naperville North. While losing is never fun, the Rockets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 448th, while the Huskies are ranked 200th).
Despite their loss, Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Julia Scheuer, who went 5 of 12 on her way to 10 points and seven rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashley Waslo, who posted nine points.
Meanwhile, St. Francis scored the most points they've had this season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. Their2024 ended with a 76-62 defeat against Neuqua Valley.
Central will have to keep a close watch on T?a Rubino and Riley Austin, a pair of players who had a big impact on St. Francis' prior game. Rubino had 17 points along with seven boards and five assists, while Austin put up 19 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals. That's the most points Rubino has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Freeman, who posted ten points.
Even though they lost, St. Francis was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Central's record is now 3-9. As for St. Francis, their record now sits at 2-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Central has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.1 boards per game. However, it's not like St. Francis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Central beat St. Francis 47-36 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Does Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Francis turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
