Basketball Preview: Holy Redeemer Royals vs. Marian Catholic
The Holy Redeemer Royals will be playing at home against Marian Catholic at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Holy Redeemer came tearing into Monday's game with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 57-23 victory over Wyoming Area. With Holy Redeemer ahead 38-10 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Marian Catholic on the road against the on Thursday as the team secured a 54-9 victory. Given Marian Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the are ranked 637th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Marian Catholic's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Frankie Martinelli, who scored 17 points along with four steals. Martinelli is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for three games straight. Aliya Tikhtova was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Holy Redeemer's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-4. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.1 points per game. As for Marian Catholic, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 18-2.
Holy Redeemer was able to grind out a solid win over the in their previous meeting back in January of 2016, winning 47-35. Will Holy Redeemer repeat their success, or do the have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
