Preview: Mater Dei Knights vs. Centralia Orphans
Mater Dei has been on the road for four straight, but on Thursday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Centralia Orphans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Mater Dei is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Centralia in Illinois (Mater Dei is ranked 22nd, while Centralia is ranked 130th).
Last Saturday, Mater Dei was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 40-39 to Nashville. Mater Dei has struggled against Nashville recently, as their game on Saturday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their loss, Mater Dei saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Maris Zurliene, who scored nine points along with ten rebounds and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. That's the first time this season that Zurliene pulled down eight or more rebounds. Alyssa Koerkenmeier was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Centralia put the finishing touches on their seventh blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 71-40 win over Marion at home. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Centralia has posted against Marion since February 27, 2021.
Mater Dei's loss dropped their record down to 18-5. As for Centralia, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-8.
Mater Dei was able to grind out a solid victory over Centralia in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, winning 47-34. Does Mater Dei have another victory up their sleeve, or will Centralia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
