Basketball Game Preview: Mohave Accelerated Patriots vs. St. John Paul II Catholic Lions

The Mohave Accelerated Patriots will head out to square off against the St. John Paul II Catholic Lions at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. St. John Paul II Catholic took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Mohave Accelerated, who comes in off a win.

On Monday, Mohave Accelerated earned a 46-34 win over Northland Prep Academy. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Spartans are ranked 267th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, St. John Paul II Catholic unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 40-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wickenburg.

Mohave Accelerated will have to contain Janey Lopez as she made an impact in St. John Paul II Catholic's last game. She posted 23 points. That's the most points Lopez has posted since back in January of 2024.

Mohave Accelerated has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 15-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.5 points per game. As for St. John Paul II Catholic, their loss ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-8.

Mohave Accelerated didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against St. John Paul II Catholic when the teams last played back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 51-47 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was St. John Paul II Catholic's Isabel Sesmas, who dropped a triple-double on 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 steals. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Mohave Accelerated to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.