Basketball Game Preview: St. Mary's Lancers vs. St. Francis Red Raiders

St. Mary is 1-9 against St. Francis since February of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The St. Mary's Lancers will be playing at home against the St. Francis Red Raiders at 7:00 p.m. St. Mary's knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully St. Francis likes a good challenge.

St. Mary's played in conference for the first time on Tuesday and they got just the result they we're looking for. They came out on top against Cardinal O'Hara by a score of 60-50.

St. Mary's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Will Szablewski, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine boards. Szablewski's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Kempa, who posted 15 points.

St. Mary's smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, St. Francis unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were dealt a 75-45 defeat at the hands of St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. The game marked the Red Raiders' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

St. Mary's has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 4-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for St. Francis, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-2.

St. Mary's came up short against St. Francis when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 56-49. Thankfully for St. Mary's, Jeremiah Neely (who went 6 of 13 on his way to 17 points and six rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.