Basketball Game Preview: Stuart Broncos vs. St. Mary's Cardinals

Stuart has won four straight games at home, while St. Mary has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Stuart Broncos will host the St. Mary's Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. The two teams are at an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but likely not for long.

On Tuesday, Stuart needed a bit of extra time to put away North Central. They pulled ahead with a 45-44 photo finish over the Knights.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely St. Mary's strategy against Creighton on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that St. Mary's blew Creighton out of the water with a 63-23 final score. The Cardinals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 23 points or more this season.

St. Mary's win came from a few key players Stuart will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gracie Williamson, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in assists (six). Another player making a difference was Annabelle Barlow, who went 6 of 11 en route to 13 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals.

St. Mary's smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.

St. Mary's win bumped their record up to 16-1. As for Stuart, they have also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season.

Stuart was dealt a bruising 71-26 loss at the hands of St. Mary's in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Will Stuart have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.