Two dominant players in Elise Graham and Bianca Barroso are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The St. Petersburg Catholic Barons will be playing in front of their home fans against the Victory Christian Academy Storm at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Petersburg Catholic waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 28-26 win over Largo. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win St. Petersburg Catholic has posted yet this season.
Victory Christian Academy posted their biggest win since December 7, 2023 on Tuesday. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 47-17 victory over Santa Fe Catholic. Given Victory Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 286th, while Santa Fe Catholic is ranked 647th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Victory Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Elsie Hess led the charge by scoring 11 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Hess 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 Barroso, who scored six points along with five rebounds and three steals.
St. Petersburg Catholic now has a winning record of 9-8. As for Victory Christian Academy, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-5.
St. Petersburg Catholic came up short against Victory Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 49-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Barroso, who scored 21 points along with nine steals and six assists. Now that St. Petersburg Catholic knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
