Basketball Game Preview: James Monroe Mavericks vs. Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights

The James Monroe Mavericks will face off against the Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as James Monroe comes in on six and Wheeling Central Catholic on nine.

James Monroe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They beat Wyoming East by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 50-44.

Mya Dunlap

Points

03/11/25 vs Wyoming East	16
03/05/25 vs Summers County	18
02/28/25 vs Bluefield	50

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead James Monroe to victory, but perhaps none more so than Mya Dunlap, who posted 16 points along with eight boards and three blocks. The matchup was Dunlap's third in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Ava Dunlap, who earned 14 points.

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Wheeling Central Catholic against Philip Barbour on Tuesday as the team secured a 78-48 win. The Maroon Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 contests by 22 points or more this season.

James Monroe better keep an eye on Kaitlyn Blake. She was instrumental in Wheeling Central Catholic's win, dropping a double-double with 37 points and ten rebounds. Blake has been hot for a while, having posted 18 or more points the last nine times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Addie Payton, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 11 assists.

Wheeling Central Catholic was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 20 assists in four consecutive games.

James Monroe's record now sits at 21-3. As for Wheeling Central Catholic, their record now sits at 22-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: James Monroe has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Wheeling Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.