The Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with 11 straight wins but they left with 12. They came out on top against Athens Drive by a score of 57-47. Given Cardinal Gibbons' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 118th, while Athens Drive is ranked 307th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kaylee Fitzsimmons had an outrageously good game as she scored 26 points along with three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Tessa Gladieux, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds.
Athens Drive's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ria Ackles, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Quincie Toran who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds. That was a full 40.4% of Athens Drive's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Even though they lost, Athens Drive smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cardinal Gibbons only pulled down three offensive rebounds.
Cardinal Gibbons is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 18-7 record this season. As for Athens Drive, they dropped their record down to 10-16 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Cardinal Gibbons will take on Leesville Road at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Cardinal Gibbons has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 305 points over their last five games. Athens Drive does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
