After five games on the road, St. Paul Lutheran is heading back home. They will take on the Jefferson Blue Jays at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. St. Paul Lutheran will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Missouri Rankings (they are ranked 275th, while Jefferson is ranked 133rd).
Last Saturday, St. Paul Lutheran came up short against Viburnum and fell 50-37.
Despite the defeat, St. Paul Lutheran had strong showings from Mia Sherrill, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Pippa Detring, who scored 10 points along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Detring scored a full 27% of St. Paul Lutheran's points, the second time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, Jefferson had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They breezed by Valley Park at home to the tune of 69-22. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-13.
It was another big night for Megan Wood, who almost dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 steals. Wood is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Halayna Loyd was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
St. Paul Lutheran now has a losing record at 2-3. As for Jefferson, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: St. Paul Lutheran have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jefferson struggles in that department as they've been even better at 39.8 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
St. Paul Lutheran ended up a good deal behind Jefferson when the teams last played back in December of 2022, losing 60-46. Will St. Paul Lutheran have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
