Basketball Recap: Lee Holopirek's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Lacrosse over St. John

LaCrosse was the 51-31 winner over St. John when they last played one another back in January of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The LaCrosse Leopards received a blow on Thursday as they fell 52-37 to the St. John Tigers.

LaCrosse's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lee Holopirek, who posted nine points in addition to five assists and five boards. Bradan Grumbein was another key player, putting up nine points and six rebounds.

St. John found their leader in freshman Emmett Delp, who had 24 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Delp has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Juan Ibarra, who put up seven points.

LaCrosse has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-5 record this season. As for St. John, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.

LaCrosse has already played their next game, a 68-39 defeat against Victoria on the 31st. As for St. John, they will face off against Chase at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. John is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.5 points per game this season.