The St. Patrick's Irish will square off against the Bridgeport Bulldogs at 5:31 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: St. Patrick's has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Bridgeport will arrive with five straight victories.
St. Patrick's is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Hershey on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. St. Patrick's lost 55-32 to Hershey. The Irish were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 30-8.
Despite their defeat, St. Patrick's saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cara Roberg, who went 6 for 14 on her way to 13 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Phelps, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, Bridgeport really took it to Kimball for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-24 win. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 25 points or more this season.
St. Patrick's better keep an eye on Tacey From. She was instrumental in Bridgeport's win, going 9 of 13 en route to 21 points in addition to eight steals and five boards. From is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 22 games she's played dating back to last season. Ella Schluterbusch was another key player, going 5 for 11 on her way to 12 points and five steals.
Bridgeport's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.7 points per game. As for St. Patrick's, their loss dropped their record down to 3-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: St. Patrick's has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Bridgeport struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
St. Patrick's was dealt a bruising 57-22 defeat at the hands of Bridgeport in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of From, who went 10 of 18 en route to 21 points along with eight boards and seven steals. Now that St. Patrick's knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
