Basketball Game Preview: Bishop Ireton Cardinals vs. The Academy of the Holy Cross Tartans

Bishop Ireton is 10-0 against The Academy of the Holy Cross since January of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bishop Ireton Cardinals will host The Academy of the Holy Cross Tartans at 4:30 p.m. One thing working in Bishop Ireton's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Bishop Ireton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Cannon, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Bishop Ireton was ranked second). Bishop Ireton came out on top against Cannon by a score of 59-47 last Monday. 59 seems to be a good number for the Cardinals as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.

Bishop Ireton had a senior duo take command as Amirah Anderson dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 boards and Theresa Hagans JR went 7 of 10 on her way to 16 points and four steals. What's more, Anderson also racked up four steals, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Nyla Brooks was another key player, putting up seven points along with eight boards and four blocks.

Meanwhile, The Academy of the Holy Cross played a tough contest on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against St. John's, falling 73-50. The Tartans were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-20.

Bishop Ireton's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for The Academy of the Holy Cross, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-5 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Bishop Ireton against The Academy of the Holy Cross in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 78-42 win. Will Bishop Ireton repeat their success, or does The Academy of the Holy Cross have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.