Basketball Game Preview: Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Trojans vs. Marie Philip Galloping Ghosts

The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf Trojans will look to take advantage of their home court for the first time this season as they take on the Marie Philip Galloping Ghosts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest defeat since January 10, 2024 back in December of 2024. They came up short against Kansas School for the Deaf, falling 47-25. The Trojans haven't had much luck with the Jackrabbits recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marie Philip). They took down International School of Boston 70-53 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Galloping Ghosts.

Marie Philip's win came from a few key players Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Xavier DeLeon, who dropped a double-double on 33 points and 12 boards. That makes it five consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Marie Philip's points. Another player making a difference was Andrew Riebe, who went 10 for 16 en route to 20 points in addition to six assists and six rebounds.

Marie Philip smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive matches.

Marie Philip's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.