Basketball Game Preview: Padua Franciscan Bruins vs. Lane Tech Champions

The Padua Franciscan Bruins will head out to face off against the Lane Tech Champions at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Padua Franciscan's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Padua Franciscan is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Rhodes: they outscored them in every quarter. Padua Franciscan strolled past Rhodes with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 64-48.

Meanwhile, Lane Tech ended up a good deal behind Lincoln Park on Thursday and lost 62-46.

Padua Franciscan will need focus on slowing down Dalton Scantlebury, one of several Lane Tech players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. Scantlebury is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Zach Mazanowski, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds.

Even though they lost, Lane Tech smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.

Lane Tech has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season. As for Padua Franciscan, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.

Padua Franciscan came up short against Lane Tech in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 59-52. Can Padua Franciscan avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.