Preview: Steward Spartans vs. Hampton Roads Academy Navigators
Steward is 8-1 against Hampton Roads Academy since January of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Steward Spartans will head out on the road to square off against the Hampton Roads Academy Navigators at 5:30 p.m. Steward will be strutting in after a win while Hampton Roads Academy will be coming in after a loss.
In what's become a running theme this season, Steward gave their fans yet another huge victory on January 5th. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 53-24 win over St. Catherine's. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Steward has posted yet this season.
Steward relied on the efforts of Ava Johnson, who scored 12 points along with five assists and five rebounds, and Sanai Green, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 14 rebounds. Green continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tori West, who scored seven points along with three steals.
Hampton Roads Academy suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Thursday. They were beaten by Norfolk Christian 60-15. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Hampton Roads Academy has scored all season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Zuriel Pendleton-morant, who scored nine points along with three steals. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hampton Roads Academy struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Steward's victory bumped their record up to 4-7. As for Hampton Roads Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's contest: Steward have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 37.7% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Hampton Roads Academy, though, as they've only made 35.5% of their threes per game this season. Given Steward's sizeable advantage in that area, Hampton Roads Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Steward against Hampton Roads Academy in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 56-24 win. With Steward ahead 38-12 at the half, the game was all but over already.
