On Thursday, the Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish were able to grind out a solid win over the Yorkville Christian Mustangs, taking the game 66-55. Given the Fightin' Irish's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Mustangs are ranked 247th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
When it comes to explaining why Yorkville Christian lost, don't look at Payton Wallin. Despite the final result, she went 10 of 19 to rack up 27 points and eight boards. That's the most points Wallin has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ava DiQui, who put up 13 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
Bishop McNamara has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.1 points over those games. As for Yorkville Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-8.
Looking ahead, Bishop McNamara will challenge St. Edward at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. St. Edward will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Bishop McNamara surely won't give up without a fight. As for Yorkville Christian, they will welcome Willows Academy at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Willows Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matchups -- so hopefully Yorkville Christian likes a good challenge.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
