Two dominant guards in Sam Rael and Joseph Richbourg are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Yavneh Academy Bulldogs will head out on the road to challenge the Bishop Gorman Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Yavneh Academy comes in on eight and Bishop Gorman on ten.
Last Tuesday, Yavneh Academy got the win against Lakehill Prep by a conclusive 55-33.
Yavneh Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Rael, who scored 21 points along with five rebounds, and Darren Sacher, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds. Rael is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Schwartz, who scored five points along with six rebounds.
In what's become a running theme this season, Bishop Gorman gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They blew past Lucas Christian Academy 64-31 at home.
Evan Thibodeaux went supernova for Bishop Gorman, going 6 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points and 1 assist. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thibodeaux has scored all season. Beau Bender was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Yavneh Academy's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-5. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.7 points per game. As for Bishop Gorman, they are on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 27-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Yavneh Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bishop Gorman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Yavneh Academy came up short against Bishop Gorman in their previous matchup back in January, falling 79-71. Can Yavneh Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
