The St. James Academy Thunder will challenge the Blue Valley Southwest Timberwolves at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. St. James Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.8 points per game this season.
St. James Academy took a loss when they played away from home back in December of 2024, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They escaped with a win against Bishop Miege by the margin of a single free throw, 48-47.
| 01/10/25 vs Bishop Miege | 13 |
| 12/08/23 vs Seaman | 13 |
| 01/05/24 @ Bishop Miege | 12 |
| 12/11/23 vs Notre Dame de Sion | 11 |
| 01/16/24 vs Blue Valley West | 9 |
Regan Becker and Elle Robinson were among the main playmakers for St. James Academy as the former dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds and the latter went 6 of 9 on her way to 12 points and six rebounds. That's the most rebounds Becker has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Ireland Sullivan, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, Blue Valley Southwest's undefeated season came to an end after four games on Saturday. They fell just short of North Kansas City by a score of 40-37. The contest marked the Timberwolves' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
St. James Academy will have to keep a close watch on Lily Unruh and Kylie Cross, a pair of players who had a big impact on Blue Valley Southwest's prior game. Unruh went 7 of 16 on her way to 14 points, while Cross had six points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. Cross is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Karter Skillman, who posted four points and ten rebounds.
St. James Academy pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.6 points per game. As for Blue Valley Southwest, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: St. James Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Blue Valley Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for St. James Academy against Blue Valley Southwest when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 71-41 victory. In that game, St. James Academy amassed a halftime lead of 43-22, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.
