The Juan Diego Catholic Soaring Eagle and the Salem Hills Skyhawks will round out the year against one another at at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Juan Diego Catholic took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 66-54 victory over West. Given the Soaring Eagle's advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Panthers are ranked 95th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/20/24 vs West | 20 |
| 12/13/24 @ Judge Memorial Catholic | 15 |
| 12/10/24 @ Summit Academy | 19 |
| 12/07/24 @ Crimson Cliffs | 19 |
| 12/06/24 vs Desert Hills | 21 |
| 12/03/24 @ Brighton | 15 |
Juan Diego Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Luke Meyer, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 boards. The contest was Meyer's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Hunter Chamberlain, who went 6 of 8 en route to 14 points and seven assists.
Juan Diego Catholic was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West only posted 12 assists.
Meanwhile, Salem Hills strolled past Hunter with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 78-60. That looming 78-60 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Skyhawks yet this season.
Salem Hills' win came from a few key players Juan Diego Catholic will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Grant Hardy, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 assists. Those 12 assists gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln Beck, who posted 13 points.
Juan Diego Catholic's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2. As for Salem Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 4-6.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Juan Diego Catholic hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 62.5 points per game. However, it's not like Salem Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 61.8 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Juan Diego Catholic was able to grind out a solid win over Salem Hills when the teams last played back in January of 2023, winning 69-58. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Salem Hills' Zak Nelson, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 22 points along with five rebounds and five steals. Now that he won't be playing on Monday, will it be easier for Juan Diego Catholic to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
