Basketball Game Preview: O'Connell Buccaneers vs. Cristo Rey Jesuit Lions

The O'Connell Buccaneers will be taking part in a tournament against the Cristo Rey Jesuit Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many points in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

O'Connell is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Incarnate Word Academy on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. O'Connell was outmatched by Incarnate Word Academy and fell 44-17. The Buccaneers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 25-2.

Meanwhile, Cristo Rey Jesuit didn't have quite enough to beat YES Prep Northwest on Tuesday and fell 12-10.

Mayte Hernandez was Cristo Rey Jesuit's leading scorer, having posted six points. JhauAsia Butler held things down on the boards with nine rebounds.

O'Connell dropped their record down to 1-3 with the defeat, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Cristo Rey Jesuit, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.

O'Connell barely slipped by Cristo Rey Jesuit when the teams last played back in February of 2022, winning 30-29. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Cristo Rey Jesuit's Zakiya Umstead, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 17 rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for O'Connell to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.