Basketball Game Preview: St. Francis Spartans vs. Marmion Cadets

The St. Francis Spartans will venture away from home to square off against the Marmion Cadets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

St. Francis is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Brother Rice on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. St. Francis lost 58-37 to Brother Rice. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 209th, while the Crusaders are ranked fourth).

Meanwhile, everything went Marmion's way against St. Rita on Tuesday as Marmion made off with a 65-44 victory. The Cadets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.

Marmion's win bumped their record up to 13-10. As for St. Francis, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-13.

Everything came up roses for St. Francis against Marmion in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 58-31 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Francis since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.