The Monsignor Pace Spartans and the Gulf Coast Sharks will compete for holiday cheer on Friday. Monsignor Pace will be strutting in after a victory while Gulf Coast will be coming in after a defeat.
Gulf Coast better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Monsignor Pace really get things going. Monsignor Pace breezed by Atlantic Christian to the tune of 62-35 on Friday. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 22 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Evelyn Cortes, who dropped a double-double on 38 points and 15 boards. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Monsignor Pace's points. Masonic McKenzie was another key player, putting up seven points.
Monsignor Pace smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Gulf Coast's undefeated season came to an end after seven games on Friday. They took a 47-31 bruising from Aubrey Rogers. The match marked the Sharks' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Monsignor Pace will need focus on slowing down Mackenzie Mcmaster, one of several Gulf Coast players who made an impact when they last played. She posted four points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Jena Walsh, who put up nine points.
Monsignor Pace is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points per game. As for Gulf Coast, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 7-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Monsignor Pace has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Gulf Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Monsignor Pace came out on top in a nail-biter against Gulf Coast in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, sneaking past 42-39. Will Monsignor Pace repeat their success, or does Gulf Coast have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
