Basketball Game Preview: Catholic Central Crusaders vs. Frontier Cougars

The Catholic Central Crusaders will venture away from home to square off against the Frontier Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Catholic Central took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They put the hurt on Madonna with a sharp 53-32 victory. With the Crusaders ahead 38-12 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Frontier challenged Shadyside on Saturday. Frontier rang in the new year with a 58-45 win over Shadyside. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 253rd, while the Tigers are ranked 643rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Catholic Central better keep an eye on Kelsey Dye. She was instrumental in Frontier's win, going 9 of 13 en route to 26 points along with five boards and three steals. Dye is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Anna Bowersock, who went 7 of 17 on her way to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Catholic Central's record now sits at 6-4. As for Frontier, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-2.

Catholic Central came up short against Frontier in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 50-44. Can Catholic Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.