Wayne and the Knights are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Wayne Blue Devils will be playing at home against the Norfolk Catholic Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Wayne has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while the Knights will arrive with three straight victories.
Wayne suffered their closest loss since December 29, 2023 last Saturday. They fell just short of O'Neill by a score of 44-41.
Despite their loss, Wayne saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Claire Lutter, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and two blocks, was perhaps the best of all. It was the first time this season that Lutter pulled down eight or more rebounds. Taytem Ellis was another key contributor, scoring four points along with five rebounds.
Even though Norfolk Catholic has not done well against the Shamrocks recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Norfolk Catholic walked away with a 40-30 victory over the Shamrocks. That's two games straight that Norfolk Catholic has won by exactly ten points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Norfolk Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Avery Yosten, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacey Wolf, who scored 11 points.
Wayne dropped their record down to 5-15 with that defeat, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Norfolk Catholic, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Wayne have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Norfolk Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wayne strolled past the Knights in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 by a score of 50-35. Will Wayne repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
