Sacred Heart Academy is 0-10 against Cardinal O'Hara since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Sacred Heart Academy Sharks will be playing at home against the Cardinal O'Hara Hawks at 6:00 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Sacred Heart Academy has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Cardinal O'Hara will arrive with nine straight wins.
Sacred Heart Academy suffered their biggest loss since December 2, 2023 two weeks ago. They ended up on the wrong side of a tough 66-44 walloping at the hands of St. Mary's. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Sacred Heart Academy in their matchups with St. Mary's: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite their defeat, Sacred Heart Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Brooke Personius, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. Personius is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Olivia Zablocki was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Even though they lost, Sacred Heart Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Mary's only pulled down 15 offensive rebounds.
Even though Cardinal O'Hara has not done well against Bishop Kearney recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Cardinal O'Hara came out on top against Bishop Kearney by a score of 58-45. Given Cardinal O'Hara's advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while Bishop Kearney is ranked 32nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kyla Hayes was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 26 points and 15 rebounds. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Another player making a difference was Jordyn Williams, who scored 11 points along with seven steals and five rebounds.
Sacred Heart Academy now has a losing record at 6-7. As for Cardinal O'Hara, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Sacred Heart Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 42.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cardinal O'Hara struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 32.7 rebounds per game. Given Sacred Heart Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Cardinal O'Hara will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sacred Heart Academy came up short against Cardinal O'Hara in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 60-56. Can Sacred Heart Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
