Basketball Recap: St. John Paul II Academy Makes It Six in a Row at Home

St. John Paul II Academy entered their tilt with Cardinal Newman on Wednesday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They managed a 74-69 victory over the Cardinal Newman Crusaders. For the Eagles, this counts as revenge for the 75-69 win the Crusaders walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January.

St. John Paul II Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dior Johnson, who went 8 for 16 on his way to 25 points. The dominant performance also gave Johnson a new career-high in blocks (two). Ian Astiazarain was another key player, going 5 for 10 on his way to 18 points.

Despite the loss, Cardinal Newman still got an impressive performance from L.T. Noegel, who went 7 of 15 en route to 24 points and seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ismael Joseph, who posted ten points.

St. John Paul II Academy's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 79.5 points per game. As for Cardinal Newman, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.

St. John Paul II Academy didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, an 81-60 loss against Saint Andrew's on the 13th. As for Cardinal Newman, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 59-55 defeat against American Heritage on the 12th.