Two dominant guards in Bella Boylan and Azera Gates are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Holy Redeemer Royals will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Albany Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on December 28th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Thursday, Holy Redeemer was fully in charge, breezing past Hanover Area 59-5 on the road. That 59-5 margin sets a new team best for Holy Redeemer this season.
Holy Redeemer found their leader in underclassman Gillian Parsons, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and six steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Mckenzie Chimock, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Albany scored the most points they've had all season to find success last Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Troy 82-28 on the road. With that win, Albany brought their scoring average up to 54.1 points per game.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Albany to victory, but perhaps none more so than Mia Corazzini, who almost dropped a triple-double on 12 points, 13 rebounds, and nine steals. That's the first time this season that Corazzini grabbed two or more steals. Madison Nunziato was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with three steals.
Holy Redeemer's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Albany, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Holy Redeemer have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.4 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Albany, though, as they've been averaging only 28.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Holy Redeemer didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Albany when the teams last played back in December of 2019, but they still walked away with a 68-63 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Albany's Ahniysha Jackson, who scored 33 points. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Holy Redeemer to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
