Basketball Recap: Roncalli Comes Up Short

Roncalli lost against Washington back in January of 2021 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The match between the Roncalli Royals and the Washington Hatchets didn't end well, with the Roncalli Royals falling 77-59. While losing is never fun, the Royals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 111th, while the Hatchets are ranked 16th).

Despite the defeat, Roncalli saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Elliot Leffler posted 22 points. Leffler has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last nine times she's played. Another player making a difference was Brennah Cerny, who scored eight points.

Even though they lost, Roncalli smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

It was another big night for Shay Hawk, who made all 7 shots she took from beyond the arc to post 35 points and seven rebounds for Washington. That's the most boards Hawk has posted since back in November of 2024. Katie Reed was another key player, going 7 of 15 on her way to 18 points and five rebounds.

Roncalli's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Washington, the win was the 12th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-2.

Roncalli will square off against Harrison at 7:30 p.m. on January 3rd. Roncalli is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.8 points per game this season. As for Washington, they will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Princeton at 1:30 p.m. on January 11th.