The St. Francis Spartans entered their tilt with the Saint Viator Lions with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. St. Francis walked away with a 50-43 win over Saint Viator on Tuesday. Given St. Francis' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while Saint Viator is ranked 391st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Francis' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Riley Austin, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Lynsey Cleveland was another key contributor, scoring five points along with 12 rebounds and four steals.
When it comes to explaining why Saint Viator lost, one person who can't be blamed is Mia Bergstrom. Despite the final result, she scored 22 points along with five rebounds. The contest was Bergstrom's fifth in a row with at least ten points.
Even though they lost, Saint Viator were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Francis only pulled down 18 offensive rebounds.
St. Francis' victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-8. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points per game. As for Saint Viator, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-14 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. Francis will take on Rosary at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Saint Viator won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Marist at 7:00 p.m. on January 10th. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Marist and six for Saint Viator.
