The St. James Academy Thunder will head out to square off against the De Soto Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. James Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
St. James Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 78-49 win over Bonner Springs. The Thunder's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Regan Becker
| 03/04/25 vs Bonner Springs | 11 |
| 01/12/24 @ Blue Valley | 10 |
| 02/11/25 @ Blue Valley West | 8 |
| 02/01/25 vs Saint Thomas Aquinas | 7 |
| 01/14/25 vs Blue Valley Southwest | 7 |
St. James Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Regan Becker out in front who dropped a triple-double with 16 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists. The dominant performance gave Becker a new career-high in assists. Elle Robinson was another key player, shooting 80% from the field to rack up 18 points and six rebounds.
Becker wasn't the only one working in the assist department: St. James Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, De Soto came tearing into Friday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came within six points of losing the streak, but they secured a 40-34 W against the PIONEERS. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 37th, while the PIONEERS are ranked 181st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. James Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 14 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. De Soto pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
St. James Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over De Soto in their previous matchup back in March of 2021, winning 50-39. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. James Academy since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
