After flying high against Forest Hill last Wednesday, Cardinal Newman came back down to earth. The Cardinal Newman Crusaders took a 34-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of the John Carroll Catholic Rams. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Crusaders this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 51-36 last Tuesday.
Cardinal Newman's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ella Strong, who posted nine points along with eight boards and four steals. Strong has been hot recently, having posted three or more steals the last four times she's played. Noelle Coyne was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.
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Even though they lost, Cardinal Newman smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 17 consecutive matchups.
Leading John Carroll Catholic to victory were Samantha Rychter and Olivia Laughlin. Rychter almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards, while Laughlin dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.
Cardinal Newman has also been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season. As for John Carroll Catholic, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 10-4.
Cardinal Newman wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 66-46 loss against Pine Crest on the 21st. John Carroll Catholic has also already played their next match, a 56-18 win against Melbourne Central Catholic on the 17th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
