Basketball Game Preview: St. Anselm's Abbey Panthers vs. Sandy Spring Friends Wildebeests

St. Anselm's Abbey hasn't had much luck against Sandy Spring Friends recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The St. Anselm's Abbey Panthers will host the Sandy Spring Friends Wildebeests at 4:30 p.m. St. Anselm's Abbey is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.

St. Anselm's Abbey is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by Washington International to the tune of 67-33 on Tuesday. With that victory, the Panthers brought their scoring average up to 51.6 points per game.

Max Leeman

Points

01/14/25 vs Washington International	15
01/10/25 vs Model Secondary School for the Deaf	18
01/09/25 @ Hebrew Academy	20

St. Anselm's Abbey got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Max Leeman out in front who went 5 of 9 en route to 15 points. Leeman's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Rooke Payne, who posted 11 points.

St. Anselm's Abbey was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Sandy Spring Friends posted their biggest victory since December 13, 2024 on Thursday. They blew past Washington International, posting a 47-15 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildebeests.

St. Anselm's Abbey's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.7 points per game. As for Sandy Spring Friends, their win ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-13.

St. Anselm's Abbey came up short against Sandy Spring Friends when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 53-48. Can St. Anselm's Abbey avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.