Preview: Jeannette Jayhawks vs. Geibel Catholic Gators
Two dominant guards in Adriana Allison and Emma Larkin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Jeannette Jayhawks will head out on the road to face off against the Geibel Catholic Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Monday, Jeannette was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 32-27 to Leechburg.
Jeannette's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Venicia Vignoli, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and six steals, and Allison who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Vignoli hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. Mary Jones was another key contributor, scoring two points along with 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Geibel Catholic unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 69-50 bruising from Charleroi.
Geibel Catholic might have lost, but man, Larkin was a machine: she scored 38 points along with five rebounds. That was a full 76% of Geibel Catholic's points, marking the 15th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Ava Henderson, who scored eight points along with 12 rebounds and seven steals.
Jeannette has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. As for Geibel Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 11-4.
Wednesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Jeannette have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 29.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Geibel Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 33.3 rebounds per game. Given Jeannette's sizeable advantage in that area, Geibel Catholic will need to find a way to close that gap.
Jeannette couldn't quite finish off Geibel Catholic in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 and fell 37-34. Can Jeannette avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
