Cardinal Newman was handed a heart-breaking two-point defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against St. Edward on Friday. The Cardinal Newman Crusaders breezed by the St. Edward's Pirates to the tune of 77-40. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 221st, while the Pirates are ranked 536th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ben Lakin was a one-man wrecking crew for Cardinal Newman as he went 6 of 13 en route to 16 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Almahdi Dial, who posted 13 points.
Crusaders
| 01/24/25 vs St. Edward's | 22 |
| 12/15/23 vs Village Academy | 22 |
| 12/01/23 vs Divine Savior Academy | 20 |
| 11/28/23 vs Somerset College Prep Academy | 20 |
| 02/15/24 vs Bell Creek Academy | 15 |
Cardinal Newman smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2023.
St. Edward's lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Cody Simmonds, who went 6 for 13 on his way to 16 points and five rebounds. The game was Simmonds' eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gary Anderson, who had five points in addition to ten boards and eight blocks.
Cardinal Newman now has a winning record of 11-10. As for St. Edward's, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-7 record this season.
Cardinal Newman didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 53-46 win against Jensen Beach on the 25th. As for St. Edward's, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 65-51 loss against Sebastian River on the 25th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
