The Cardinal Newman Cardinals will challenge the Northside Christian Academy Crusaders at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Cardinal Newman is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Mead Hall Episcopal School 67-29. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals as it put an end to their nine-game losing streak.
Kristin Moye and Irene Bocanegra Garcia were among the main playmakers for Cardinal Newman as the former went 11 of 22 on her way to 25 points along with six steals and five assists and the latter went 11 for 13 en route to 22 points in addition to seven steals and five rebounds. Moye is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for four straight games. Taylor Laubacker was another key player, putting up nine points in addition to eight steals and six boards.
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Cardinal Newman was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Meanwhile, Northside Christian Academy put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to Hammond for the full four quarters, racking up a 57-24 win. With the Crusaders ahead 34-12 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Cardinal Newman better focus on containing Evie Godfrey and Chaelyn Tifre as the pair were huge in Northside Christian Academy's win. Godfrey dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 steals, while Tifre dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. The contest was Godfrey's 13th in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Campbell Childers, who posted eight points and five assists.
Northside Christian Academy's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-0. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.7 points per game. As for Cardinal Newman, their win bumped their record up to 3-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cardinal Newman has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Northside Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cardinal Newman was able to grind out a solid victory over Northside Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, winning 41-33. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cardinal Newman since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
