Basketball Game Preview: Tolsia Rebels vs. St. Joseph Central Irish

Two dominant forwards in CJ Waller and Nymir Bryant are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Tolsia Rebels will challenge the St. Joseph Central Irish at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tolsia knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven games -- so hopefully St. Joseph Central likes a good challenge.

Tolsia is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Hannan 107-64. The Rebels haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.

Cole Blackburn

Points (Career)

03/04/25 vs Hannan	30
02/07/25 vs Man	18
12/20/24 @ Tug Valley	14
12/23/24 vs St. Joseph Central	13
02/19/24 @ Bloomingdale	13

Cole Blackburn had a dynamite game for Tolsia, shooting 71% from the field to rack up 30 points. Those 30 points gave Blackburn a new career-high. Bray Mollette was another key player, dropping a double-double with 15 points and ten boards.

Tolsia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph Central entered their tilt with Van on Friday with six consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with seven. They blew past the Bulldogs 68-32. Given the Irish's advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 141st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

St. Joseph Central pushed their record up to 14-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.6 points over those games. As for Tolsia, their win bumped their record up to 7-16.

Tolsia came up short against St. Joseph Central in their previous meeting back in January, falling 69-56. Can Tolsia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.