Preview: Providence Hall Patriots vs. Judge Memorial Catholic Bulldogs
Providence Hall is 0-9 against Judge Memorial Catholic since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Providence Hall Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Judge Memorial Catholic Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Providence Hall is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.
Providence Hall suffered their biggest defeat yet this season last Monday. They had to suffer through a rough 77-45 loss at the hands of South Summit. While losing is never fun, Providence Hall can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while South Summit is ranked 15th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Connor Ballard, who scored eight points. Dallin Wells was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Meanwhile, Judge Memorial Catholic had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against Summit Academy by a score of 62-55 on Wednesday. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Judge Memorial Catholic can attribute much of their success to Jj Apathjang, who scored 19 points, and Aaydan Saucedo, who scored 26 points. Apathjang is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last six games he's played.
Providence Hall's defeat dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Judge Memorial Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 6-12.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Providence Hall have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Judge Memorial Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 21.1 rebounds per game. Given Providence Hall's sizeable advantage in that area, Judge Memorial Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Providence Hall lost to Judge Memorial Catholic on the road by a decisive 74-59 margin in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Providence Hall, Manase Mangala (who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
