Nazareth has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Monsignor Scanlan Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Nazareth will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps New York Rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while Monsignor Scanlan is ranked second).
Last Sunday, Nazareth was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 49-43 to St. Joseph Hill Academy.
Nazareth's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Vanessa McManus, who scored 20 points along with two steals, and M. Moore who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. McManus hasn't dropped below 15points for six straight games.
Monsignor Scanlan posted their biggest victory since December 1, 2023 two weeks ago. They put the hurt on Holy Cross with a sharp 67-46 win. Monsignor Scanlan has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 21 points or more this season.
Nazareth's defeat dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Monsignor Scanlan, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 8-1.
Nazareth came up short against Monsignor Scanlan when the teams last played back in December of 2021, falling 76-71. Can Nazareth avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.