Basketball Game Preview: Archbishop Murphy Wildcats vs. Stanwood Spartans

The Archbishop Murphy Wildcats will challenge the Stanwood Spartans at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Archbishop Murphy comes in on four and Stanwood on three.

Last Friday, Archbishop Murphy rang in the new year with a 68-58 win over Meadowdale. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 18th, while the Mavericks are ranked 78th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Stanwood). They blew past Sedro-Woolley, posting a 78-22 victory. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 25 points or more this season.

Archbishop Murphy's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.0 points per game. As for Stanwood, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.

Everything went Archbishop Murphy's way against Stanwood in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as Archbishop Murphy made off with a 58-35 win. Will Archbishop Murphy repeat their success, or does Stanwood have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.