Basketball Game Preview: Aquinas Academy Crusaders vs. St. Joseph Spartans

The Aquinas Academy Crusaders will head out to square off against the St. Joseph Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Aquinas Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 12 matchups -- so hopefully St. Joseph likes a good challenge.

Aquinas Academy is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Nazareth Prep just ended the team's ten-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took an 87-80 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Saints.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They had to suffer through a 76-29 loss at the hands of Neighborhood Academy. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 550th, while Neighborhood Academy are ranked 48th).

Aquinas Academy will need focus on slowing down Ryan McCarthy, one of several St. Joseph players who made an impact when they last played. He posted eight points.

St. Joseph's defeat dropped their record down to 6-8. As for Aquinas Academy, their loss ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-2.

Aquinas Academy strolled past St. Joseph in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 67-49. Will Aquinas Academy repeat their success, or does St. Joseph have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.