Basketball Game Preview: Pope John Paul II Jaguars vs. St. Katharine Drexel Yellowjackets

The Pope John Paul II Jaguars will face off against the St. Katharine Drexel Yellowjackets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pope John Paul II will be strutting in after a victory while St. Katharine Drexel will be coming in after a loss.

Pope John Paul II took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Kentwood as they made off with a 43-21 win. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 22-2.

Iris Lin

Points (Career)

12/09/25 vs Kentwood	16
01/13/25 @ Mt. Hermon	13
12/08/25 @ Pearl River	12
12/05/25 @ Thomas Jefferson	11
02/07/25 vs St. Helena College and Career Academy	10

Pope John Paul II's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Iris Lin, who shot 58% from the field en route to 16 points. Those 16 points gave Lin a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaiden Campbell, who posted five points along with ten rebounds and six blocks.

Pope John Paul II smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.

Meanwhile, St. Katharine Drexel was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They fell 37-25 to Kennedy. On the bright side, the 25- point performance marked the Yellowjackets' highest-scoring contest to date.

Pope John Paul II will need to focus on slowing down Amaiya Jason, one of several St. Katharine Drexel players who made an impact when they last played. She had seven points. Another player making a difference was Anais Santemore, who earned seven points.

St. Katharine Drexel's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Pope John Paul II, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.

Pope John Paul II came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Katharine Drexel when the teams last played back in December of 2016, sneaking past 39-37. Will the Jaguars repeat their success, or do the Yellowjackets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.