After three games on the road, Marist is heading back home. Having just played yesterday, they will get right back to it and host the Nazareth Academy Roadrunners at 7:00 p.m. on February 9th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard on Friday.
On Thursday, Marist strolled past Joliet Catholic with points to spare, taking the game 62-43. Given Marist's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 25th, while Joliet Catholic is ranked 362nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Nazareth Academy's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight defeat. They took a 69-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of St. Patrick. Even though they lost, Nazareth Academy's still made a splash on offense and bumped their average scoring up to 50.2 points per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Despite the loss, Nazareth Academy had strong showings from Matthew Callahan, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals, and Eddie Austin, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Austin has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Talen Pearson, who scored five points along with six assists.
Even though they lost, Nazareth Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Marist is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season. As for Nazareth Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-16 record this season.
Marist was able to grind out a solid victory over Nazareth Academy when the teams last played back in January, winning 54-45. Does Marist have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nazareth Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
