Basketball Game Preview: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders vs. Bishop's Knights

The Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will head out to face off against the Bishop's Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Bishop's will be up against a hot Mater Dei Catholic team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Mater Dei Catholic took their contest on Monday with ease, bagging a 58-16 win over Bonita Vista. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 290th, while the Barons are ranked 966th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jordyn Worley and Promise Martin were among the main playmakers for Mater Dei Catholic as the former dropped a double-double on 12 points and 16 rebounds and the latter almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 13 boards. Martin is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Melissa Ruiz, who went 5 of 9 en route to 10 points.

Mater Dei Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 29 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in ten consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bishop's). They claimed a resounding 77-44 victory over Granite Hills. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Knights as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Mater Dei Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Bishop's, their victory bumped their record up to 15-8.

Mater Dei Catholic ended up a good deal behind Bishop's in their previous meeting back in December of 2021, losing 63-49. Can Mater Dei Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.