Basketball Game Preview: Lewis County Minutemen vs. Charleston Catholic Irish

The Lewis County Minutemen will face off against the Charleston Catholic Irish at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Lewis County is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.8 points per game this season.

Last Wednesday, everything came up roses for Lewis County against Lincoln as the team secured a 70-26 victory. The Minutemen have beaten the Cougars the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Cougars has come to flipping the script.

Ella Pinkney

Steals

12/20/24 @ Philip Barbour	8
12/11/24 @ Buckhannon-Upshur	8
02/05/25 vs Lincoln	6
02/01/25 vs Elkins	5
12/28/24 @ Cane Bay	5
+ 7 more games

Lewis County relied on the efforts of Ella Pinkney, who went 6 of 15 to rack up 18 points along with seven rebounds and six assists, and Payten Goodwin, who went 6 for 15 on her way to 20 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. Pinkney also grabbed six steals, which is notable because Lewis County is undefeated when she posts at least five steals, but 2-6 otherwise. Alexis Piggie was another key player, putting up five points in addition to nine rebounds and three steals.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Lewis County was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lincoln only racked up six assists.

Meanwhile, Charleston Catholic hadn't done well against Tucker County recently (they were 0-6 in their previous six matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Charleston Catholic secured a 51-47 W over Tucker County. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Irish.

Charleston Catholic's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-3. As for Lewis County, their victory bumped their record up to 8-6.

Lewis County strolled past Charleston Catholic in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 45-26. Does Lewis County have another victory up their sleeve, or will Charleston Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.