Basketball Game Preview: St. Mary's Ryken Knights vs. The Academy of the Holy Cross Tartans

St. Mary's Ryken has gone 9-1 against The Academy of the Holy Cross recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The St. Mary's Ryken Knights will host The Academy of the Holy Cross Tartans at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in St. Mary's Ryken's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while The Academy of the Holy Cross has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.

While St. Mary's Ryken didn't have the best season last year (they finished 12-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Henrico by a score of 56-45 last Saturday. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 17th in Maryland, while the Warriors are ranked 62nd in Virginia), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

St. Mary's Ryken's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sydney Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. Thompson has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Jaela Fair, who posted 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, The Academy of the Holy Cross played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Bishop Ireton, falling 93-33. The Tartans were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 52-15.

St. Mary's Ryken's win bumped their record up to 10-2. As for The Academy of the Holy Cross, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.

St. Mary's Ryken came up short against The Academy of the Holy Cross in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 68-55. Will St. Mary's Ryken have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.