St. Joseph Academy has been on the road for two straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Saint Mary's Hall Barons at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, St. Joseph Academy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 81-75 to St. Anthony.
Lucas Cristiano put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 25 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Oscar Balli was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary's Hall escaped with a win on Friday against San Antonio Christian by the margin of a single free throw, 78-77. The win was all the more spectacular given Saint Mary's Hall's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 670th, while San Antonio Christian is ranked 228th).
Roman Chase was his usual excellent self, scoring 42 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Rico Hernandez, who scored 18 points.
St. Joseph Academy now has a losing record at 9-10. As for Saint Mary's Hall, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-11.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's contest: St. Joseph Academy have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4.7 threes per game. It's a different story for Saint Mary's Hall, though, as they've been averaging only 0.2 threes per game. Given St. Joseph Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Saint Mary's Hall will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for St. Joseph Academy against Saint Mary's Hall in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 79-38 win. Will St. Joseph Academy repeat their success, or does Saint Mary's Hall have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
