Preview: Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders vs. Oceanside Pirates
The Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders will square off against the Oceanside Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Tuesday, Mater Dei Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Academy of Our Lady of Peace on the road as they won 52-37. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Mater Dei Catholic.
Among those leading the charge was Valentina Aranalde, who scored ten points along with four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Otilia Sua, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Oceanside can now show off seven landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. Everything went their way against Sage Creek as Oceanside made off with a 54-30 victory. Winning may never get old, but Oceanside sure is getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Oceanside to victory, but perhaps none more so than Martina Griffin, who scored 20 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Griffin is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games she's played. Nalia Nuanez was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with four steals.
Mater Dei Catholic's win bumped their record up to 6-8. As for Oceanside, their win bumped their record up to 13-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Mater Dei Catholic have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Oceanside struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 38.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Mater Dei Catholic came up short against Oceanside in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 43-38. Can Mater Dei Catholic avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
