Preview: Ellicott Thunderhawks vs. St. Mary's Pirates
The Ellicott Thunderhawks will be playing in front of their home fans against the St. Mary's Pirates at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Ellicott has struggled recently with 17 defeats in a row, while St. Mary's will arrive with three straight wins.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 66-34, which was the final score in Ellicott's tilt against Rye on Friday. Ellicott was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-17.
Meanwhile, St. Mary's scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They strolled past La Junta with points to spare, taking the game 59-44.
St. Mary's can attribute much of their success to Jackson Lewis, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Mike Trechter, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Lewis has scored at least a third of St. Mary's points. Josh Padrnos was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Ellicott's loss was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-16. As for St. Mary's, their victory ended a eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 5-11.
Everything came up roses for Ellicott against St. Mary's in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 88-52 victory. Will Ellicott repeat their success, or does St. Mary's have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
