Basketball Game Preview: Bishop Ireton Cardinals vs. Episcopal Maroon

The Bishop Ireton Cardinals will hit the road for the first time this season to challenge the Episcopal Maroon at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Bishop Ireton has given up an average of 54.8 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Bishop Ireton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Clinton Grace Christian, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (Bishop Ireton was ranked ninth). The Cardinals took a hard 59-40 fall against the Eagles on Saturday. The matchup marked the Cardinals' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Episcopal strolled into their game on Thursday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They were the clear victors by a 78-58 margin over Flint Hill. The Maroon have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 20 points or more this season.

Episcopal's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Bishop Ireton, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.

Bishop Ireton strolled past Episcopal in their previous matchup back in February by a score of 76-59. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.