The St. Joseph Spartans waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They took down Eden Christian Academy 56-39. Given St. Joseph's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 148th, while Eden Christian Academy is ranked 299th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Joseph had a senior duo take command as Julie Spinelli dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds and Anna Kreinbrook dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Spinelli is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games she's played. Another player making a difference was Gia Richter, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
St. Joseph's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-2. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 27.67 points. As for Eden Christian Academy, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-8.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. St. Joseph will take on Deer Lakes at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Deer Lakes is coming into the contest on a six-game losing streak. As for Eden Christian Academy, they will head out on the road to challenge Beaver Falls at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Beaver Falls has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.