Basketball Game Preview: Saint Andrew's Scots vs. St. John Paul II Academy Eagles

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Previous Games

02/10/24 - Home	78-68 W
11/30/23 - Home	62-45 W
02/10/23 - Home	80-63 W
01/13/23 - Away	54-63 L
02/11/22 - Home	53-58 L
+ 5 more games

Saint Andrew has gone 8-2 against St. John Paul II Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Saint Andrew's Scots will square off against the St. John Paul II Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Saint Andrew's knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 matches -- so hopefully St. John Paul II Academy likes a good challenge.

Last Wednesday, Saint Andrew's was fully in charge, breezing past Pine Crest 98-68. The Scots have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 27 points or more this season.

Saint Andrew's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brendan Gerard, who shot 4-for-6 from deep and almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine assists. Another player making a difference was Alex Montes, who went 9 for 14 on his way to 20 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, St. John Paul II Academy waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They secured a 74-69 W over the Crusaders.

St. John Paul II Academy's win came from a few key players Saint Andrew's will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Dior Johnson, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 25 points. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in blocks (two). Ian Astiazarain was another key player, going 5 for 10 on his way to 18 points.

St. John Paul II Academy pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 79.5 points per game. As for Saint Andrew's, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Saint Andrew's and St. John Paul II Academy are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Saint Andrew's hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 82.7 points per game. However, it's not like St. John Paul II Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 63.2 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Saint Andrew's beat St. John Paul II Academy 78-68 in their previous matchup back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for Saint Andrew's since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.