Basketball Game Preview: St. Pius X Warriors vs. Chillicothe Hornets

The St. Pius X Warriors will square off against the Chillicothe Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Pius X will be strutting in after a victory while Chillicothe will be coming in after a defeat.

Last Friday, it was close, but St. Pius X sidestepped North Platte for a 55-52 win. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Warriors' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 197th, while the Panthers are ranked 50th).

St. Pius X got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kate Sell out in front who posted 20 points along with five assists and five boards. Those five assists gave Sell a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Caroline McCoy, who went 6 of 11 on her way to 14 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Chillicothe's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They were outmatched by Tipton and fell 71-38.

Despite the loss, Chillicothe saw an underclassman step up: freshman Lexy Smith went 6 for 13 en route to 16 points. Those 16 points set a new season-high mark for Smith. Lydia Bonderer was another key player, putting up four points.

Chillicothe's defeat dropped their record down to 11-3. As for St. Pius X, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 5-6 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: St. Pius X has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Chillicothe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

St. Pius X came up short against Chillicothe when the teams last played back in March of 2024, falling 48-37. Can St. Pius X avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.