Basketball Game Preview: Mother McAuley Mighty Macs vs. Thornton Fractional North Meteors

The Mother McAuley Mighty Macs will take on the Thornton Fractional North Meteors in a tournament on Monday. Mother McAuley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.5 points per game this season.

Last Thursday, Mother McAuley came up short against DePaul College Prep and fell 56-48. While the Mighty Macs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Rams 21-13 in the first quarter.

Despite their loss, Mother McAuley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Quinn Arundel, who posted 18 points and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. Arundel is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 12 games she's played. Taji Alexa was another key player, going 8 of 20 en route to 20 points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Even though they lost, Mother McAuley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Thornton Fractional North waltzed into their contest on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They put the hurt on the Astros with a sharp 56-34 win. The Meteors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 21 points or more this season.

Thornton Fractional North has also been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Mother McAuley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-8.

Everything came up roses for Mother McAuley against Thornton Fractional North when the teams last played back in January of 2023, as the squad secured a 64-33 victory. Will Mother McAuley repeat their success, or does Thornton Fractional North have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.