A feisty cat fight will be fought when the La Salette Academy Lions take on the St. Anne Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday... La Salette Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.3 points per game this season.
La Salette Academy took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They managed a 41-36 victory over Arthur-Okaw Christian. The 41-point effort marked the Lions' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
| 12/10/24 vs Arthur-Okaw Christian | 6 |
| 11/25/24 @ Pleasant Hill | 5 |
| 01/19/24 @ Dupo | 5 |
| 01/26/24 @ Donovan | 4 |
| 12/03/24 @ Georgetown-Ridge Farm | 4 |
La Salette Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Marco Cruz, who posted eight points in addition to six boards and four steals. Those six boards gave Cruz a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Sick, who had 16 points.
Meanwhile, St. Anne came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Crusaders 68-39. That 29 point margin sets a new team best for the Cardinals this season.
La Salette Academy better keep an eye on Chris Link. He was instrumental in St. Anne's win, going 11 of 17 on his way to 30 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Link is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Blyle, who posted 13 points and seven boards.
St. Anne is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for La Salette Academy, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: La Salette Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Anne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
La Salette Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against St. Anne in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 42-38 victory. Does La Salette Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Anne turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
