Two dominant guards in Ava Pautz and Sydney Esperanza are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Having just played yesterday, the Notre Dame Prep Saints will get right back to it and host the Kentridge Chargers at 2:00 p.m. on December 29th. Notre Dame Prep is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
On Thursday, Notre Dame Prep didn't have too much trouble with Bainbridge at home as they won 55-40. Given Notre Dame Prep's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 23rd in Arizona, while Bainbridge is ranked 139th in Washington), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Notre Dame Prep's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Pautz, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds. The matchup was Pautz's ninth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Brooke Nowak, who scored 14 points along with four steals.
Kentridge has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were just a bucket shy of victory on Thursday and fell 42-41 to Auburn.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Esperanza, who scored 16 points along with four steals. Those 16 points set a new season-high mark for her. Jayla Keowla was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with seven rebounds.
Notre Dame Prep pushed their record up to 10-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for Kentridge, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-3 record this season.
