Basketball Game Preview: Nichols Vikings vs. St. Francis Red Raiders

The Nichols Vikings will challenge the St. Francis Red Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Nichols is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They fell just short of Bishop Timon-St. Jude by a score of 83-80 on Friday. The defeat continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now lost six in a row.

Despite the loss, Nichols had strong showings from Mitchell Masiello, who went 11 of 17 en route to 27 points along with five rebounds and four blocks, and Tre Paulfrey, who went 9 for 20 on his way to 27 points in addition to six assists and five boards. The game was Paulfrey's sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Bennett, who went 5 for 8 en route to 12 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, St. Francis had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 74-63 win over OnTech on Monday. Given the Red Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 286th, while the Wolves are ranked 618th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

St. Francis now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Nichols, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.

Everything came up roses for Nichols against St. Francis in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the squad secured an 88-54 victory. Does Nichols have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Francis turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.