Basketball Game Preview: John Paul II Catholic Saints vs. Wayne Country Day Chargers

The John Paul II Catholic Saints will head out on the road to face off against the Wayne Country Day Chargers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (John Paul II Catholic has four straight victories, Wayne Country Day has nine straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

John Paul II Catholic saw some tournament action on Saturday. They managed a 40-34 win over Word of God Christian Academy. Given the Saints' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 82nd, while the Holy Rams are ranked 212th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

John Paul II Catholic found their leader in sophomore Aaliyah Hinnant, who went 8 for 18 on her way to 21 points and five rebounds. The matchup was Hinnant's ninth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cam Daise, who posted seven points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Wayne Country Day was beaten by Coastal Christian 51-5 back in December of 2024.

Wayne Country Day's defeat dropped their record down to 0-8. As for John Paul II Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.

John Paul II Catholic beat Wayne Country Day 39-30 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Does John Paul II Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wayne Country Day turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.