Basketball Game Preview: Monsignor Pace Spartans vs. Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs

The Monsignor Pace Spartans will face off against the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cardinal Gibbons took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Monsignor Pace, who comes in off a win.

Monsignor Pace is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They breezed by iMater Charter to the tune of 63-13. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Evelyn Cortes

Rebounds

02/08/25 vs iMater Charter	13
02/06/25 @ Carol City	10
01/27/25 vs South Dade	12
01/23/25 vs North Broward Prep	11
01/18/25 @ Dwyer	13
+ 21 more games

Monsignor Pace relied on the efforts of Evelyn Cortes, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Aleaijah Russell, who went 8 for 10 to rack up 20 points and three steals. Cortes is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last 26 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Melissa Carrasco, who posted nine points.

Monsignor Pace was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons lost to Pine Crest on the road by a 71-52 margin on Friday.

The victory made it two in a row for Monsignor Pace and bumps their season record up to 14-9. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.5 points over those games. As for Cardinal Gibbons, their loss dropped their record down to 15-8.

Monsignor Pace didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 57-53 win. Will Monsignor Pace repeat their success, or does Cardinal Gibbons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.