Basketball Game Preview: San Diego Academy Cavaliers vs. Cristo Rey

The San Diego Academy Cavaliers will square off against Cristo Rey at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.

San Diego Academy took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 63-12 victory over Bostonia Global. That 51 point margin sets a new team best for the Cavaliers this season.

Rudy Nieto

Steals

01/14/25 vs Bostonia Global	5
02/01/24 @ School for Entrepreneurship & Technology	5
11/23/24 vs Bonsall	4
01/07/25 vs Ocean View Christian	3
12/12/24 @ Ocean View Christian	3

San Diego Academy found their leader in sophomore Rudy Nieto, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. What's more, Nieto also racked up five steals, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jason Love, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 boards.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cristo Rey). They breezed by Bostonia Global to the tune of 76-8 on Tuesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for Cristo Rey.

San Diego Academy better keep an eye on Xavier Sawaya. He was instrumental in Cristo Rey's win, almost dropping a double-double on 22 points and nine steals. Sawaya is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Charles Sawaya, who went 6 for 9 on his way to 13 points and six steals.

Cristo Rey's win bumped their record up to 3-8. As for San Diego Academy, they have also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season.

San Diego Academy came up short against Cristo Rey when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 48-39. Will San Diego Academy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.