The Grandview Bulldogs will take on the St. Teresa's Academy Stars on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Grandview barely beat St. Michael the Archangel the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Grandview was the clear victors by a 52-29 margin over St. Michael the Archangel on Tuesday. Winning may never get old, but the Bulldogs sure are getting used to it with their ninth in a row.
Grandview can attribute much of their success to Lariah Tucker, who posted 11 points in addition to five assists and five boards, and Taniya Cruthird, who put up 11 points and three blocks. What's more, Tucker posted three blocks, the most she's had since back in November of 2023. Lecia Martin was another key player, putting up eight points.
Meanwhile, St. Teresa's Academy had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.3 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Saturday. They blew past the Bulldogs 43-19. Given the Stars' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 20th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 193rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Teresa's Academy found their leader in sophomore Jazlyn Rhodes, who shot 50% from the field en route to 17 points and four steals. Rhodes is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Addi Moylan, who had 11 points and five steals.
St. Teresa's Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive matchups.
St. Teresa's Academy's win bumped their record up to 18-5. As for Grandview, their victory bumped their record up to 19-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Grandview has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Teresa's Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Grandview ended up a good deal behind St. Teresa's Academy in their previous matchup back in January, losing 55-38. Can Grandview avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
