Two dominant guards in Shane Lincoln and Chance Mallory are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Bishop O'Connell Knights will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against the St. Anne's-Belfield Saints at 5:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Bishop O'Connell's upcoming contest probably won't be as stressful as their last, when they took on another nationally ranked opponent: St. John's, who was ranked 100th at the time (Bishop O'Connell was ranked 69th). Bishop O'Connell fell 65-57 to St. John's on Saturday.
Matt Dalton put forth a good effort for the losing side as he en route to 16 points and seven rebounds. Lincoln was another key player, on his way to 12 points.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, St. Anne's-Belfield rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They blew past the Huskies 92-72. The Saints are really starting to get used to good results now that the team has won 14 straight.
St. Anne's-Belfield's win came from a few key players Bishop O'Connell will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Austin Williford, who shot 4-for-6 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double with 30 points and nine boards. His big performance that evening made it seven games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Mallory, who to rack up 23 points in addition to six assists and three steals.
St. Anne's-Belfield pushed their record up to 21-7 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 81.6 points over those games. As for Bishop O'Connell, their defeat dropped their record down to 21-9.
Bishop O'Connell came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Anne's-Belfield in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, sneaking past 56-54. Does Bishop O'Connell have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Anne's-Belfield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
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