St. Joseph has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Deer Lakes Lancers at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in St. Joseph's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last nine matchups.
On Thursday, St. Joseph strolled past Eden Christian Academy with points to spare, taking the game 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 can attribute much of their success to Anna Kreinbrook, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds, and Julie Spinelli, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. Spinelli hasn't dropped below 15points for nine straight games. Gia Richter was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Deer Lakes' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their seventh straight loss. They were dealt a 57-20 defeat at the hands of Knoch. Deer Lakes has struggled against Knoch recently, as their game on Thursday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
St. Joseph pushed their record up to 13-2 with that victory, which was their 12th straight at home. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 27.67 points. As for Deer Lakes, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.
St. Joseph took their win against Deer Lakes when the teams last played back in January of 2023 by a conclusive 51-29. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Joseph since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.