Preview: Athens Drive Jaguars vs. Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders
Athens Drive is 1-6 against Cardinal Gibbons since November of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Athens Drive Jaguars will head out on the road to challenge the Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Athens Drive focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 18 on Tuesday.
Athens Drive lost a heartbreaker to Broughton when they met back in February of 2023, and they left with a heavy heart again. Athens Drive lost to Broughton on the road by a decisive 59-43 margin. Athens Drive has struggled against Broughton recently, as their game on Tuesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kianna Gulley, who scored eight points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was Quincie Toran, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons came tearing into Tuesday's game with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by Sanderson at home to the tune of 68-13. Cardinal Gibbons has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 20 points or more this season.
Kaylee Fitzsimmons went supernova for Cardinal Gibbons, as she made all 6 shots she took from beyond the arc racking up 20 points and 2 assists. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Fitzsimmons has scored all season. Tessa Gladieux was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Cardinal Gibbons used a slightly different lineup for their bout with Sanderson. Three players got more time on the court than they're used to: Cat Royster (19), Fiona Mcgowan (ten), and Izzy Cronin (11). The trio had averaged 7.5, 4.64, and 4.36 minutes respectively before Tuesday's match. Royster made the most of the opportunity, scoring seven points. A few more games like that and she might be seeing even more time going forward.
Athens Drive's loss dropped their record down to 9-14. As for Cardinal Gibbons, they pushed their record up to 16-7 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Athens Drive have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Athens Drive lost to Cardinal Gibbons on the road by a decisive 42-28 margin in their previous meeting back in January. Can Athens Drive avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
