Basketball Game Preview: Thomas Jefferson Campus Orange Wave vs. Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders

The Thomas Jefferson Campus Orange Wave will square off against the Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Thomas Jefferson Campus knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 32 games -- so hopefully Archbishop Stepinac likes a good challenge.

Thomas Jefferson Campus is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They escaped with a win against Eagle Academy by the margin of a single free throw, 56-55. The victory continues a trend for the Orange Wave in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won seven in a row.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Thomas Jefferson Campus to victory, but perhaps none more so than Connor Sprattley, who posted 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Malachi Wilson, who earned 13 points.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Stepinac faced St. Raymond Boys in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Sunday. Archbishop Stepinac had just enough and edged out St. Raymond Boys 63-61. The win was familiar territory for the Crusaders, who have now won five matchups in a row.

Archbishop Stepinac's win came from a few key players Thomas Jefferson Campus will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hassan Koureissi, who put up 13 points and eight rebounds. Adonis Ratliff was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with nine points and ten boards.

Thomas Jefferson Campus pushed their record up to 31-1 with the victory, which was their 23rd straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 96.2 points over those games. As for Archbishop Stepinac, their win bumped their record up to 25-4.