Basketball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Jason Rogers Jr and Elton Smith Jr. Lead Cardinal Newman to Victory

Cardinal Newman's tournament run continued when they took on Westminster Catawba Christian on Monday. The Cardinal Newman Cardinals wrapped up 2024 with a 63-49 win over the Westminster Catawba Christian Indians. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while the Indians are ranked 260th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cardinal Newman was led to victory by Elton Smith Jr. and Jason Rogers Jr. Smith Jr. dropped a double-double on 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Rogers Jr went 6 of 10 on his way to 15 points and six assists. Smith Jr. is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last 13 games he's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Desmond Harrington, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten boards.

When it comes to explaining why Westminster Catawba Christian lost, don't look at Kaleb Santos. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Santos a new career-high in rebounds. Nikayle Hodge was another key player, putting up ten points and seven rebounds.

The victory made it two in a row for Cardinal Newman and bumps their season record up to 7-5. As for Westminster Catawba Christian, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-10.

Cardinal Newman will square off against Ben Lippen at 7:30 p.m. on January 7th. As for Westminster Catawba Christian, they will take on SouthLake Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on January 7th. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (SouthLake Christian Academy has won three straight at home, while Westminster Catawba Christian won three straight on the road), something that'll have to change.