Basketball Recap: John Carroll Catholic Takes a Tough Playoff Loss

John Carroll Catholic and Lakeland Christian squared off in some playoff action on Tuesday, but John Carroll Catholic had to settle for second. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 36-35 to the Lakeland Christian Vikings.

Madi Burrowes

Points

02/18/25 vs Lakeland Christian	26
12/16/24 @ Westwood	23
01/28/25 @ Pine	19
01/24/25 vs South Fork	18
12/20/24 vs Morningside Academy	16

Despite the loss, John Carroll Catholic saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Madi Burrowes went 8-for-15 to rack up 26 points along with seven boards and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Burrowes has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Laughlin, who posted five points and 12 rebounds.

Even though they lost, John Carroll Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in four consecutive matches.

Lakeland Christian found their leader in freshman Rudi Jessee, who earned 12 points in addition to eight blocks and seven boards. With that strong performance, Jessee is now averaging an impressive 2 blocks per game. Another player making a difference was Collette Zavada, who scored six points and three steals.

John Carroll Catholic's defeat dropped their record down to 19-5. As for Lakeland Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season.

John Carroll Catholic does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Lakeland Christian, they will face off against Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something Lakeland Christian surely won't give up without a fight.