Basketball Game Preview: Imperial Tigers vs. St. Joseph Academy Crusaders

The Imperial Tigers will challenge the St. Joseph Academy Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Imperial will be looking to extend their current 12-game winning streak.

Imperial is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They blew past Eastlake 57-17. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Elynna Jimenez

Steals (Career)

02/19/25 vs Eastlake	8
02/14/25 vs Palo Verde Valley	6
11/23/24 vs San Diego	6
02/11/25 @ Calexico	5
01/23/25 vs Calexico	5

Imperial found their leader in freshman Elynna Jimenez, who almost dropped a double-double with 18 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave Jimenez a new career-high in steals (eight). Nayeli Cardona was another key player, putting up 14 points along with seven steals and five assists.

Imperial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, it may have taken double overtime to finish the job, but St. Joseph Academy ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They managed a 44-40 victory over Mira Mesa.

Imperial's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.9 points over those games. As for St. Joseph Academy, they now have a winning record of 14-13.