Basketball Recap: Archbishop Stepinac Wins High-Profile Match Against St. Raymond Boys

Archbishop Stepinac and St. Raymond Boys (ranked 37th and 94th in the MaxPreps national rankings respectively) squared off in a high-profile game on Tuesday. The Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 67-64 win over the St. Raymond Boys Ravens. This was payback for the Crusaders, who suffered a 57-51 defeat the last time these two teams met.

Archbishop Stepinac got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Danny Carbuccia out in front who went 5 for 8 on his way to 13 points in addition to five boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jasiah Jervis, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 15 points and eight boards.

St. Raymond Boys' loss came despite strong showings from Brandon Stores, Jr. and NaJay Bess. Stores, Jr. posted 18 points, while Bess went 5 of 11 on his way to 15 points. Stores, Jr.'s evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Hassan Cisse was another key player, putting up eight points.

Archbishop Stepinac is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.1 points per game. As for St. Raymond Boys, the loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 7-5.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Archbishop Stepinac will host Monsignor Scanlan at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for St. Raymond Boys, they will welcome Iona Prep at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.