The St. Joseph Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Mission College Prep Royals at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Joseph has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 231 points over their last three contests.
St. Joseph is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Orcutt Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Everything went St. Joseph's way against Orcutt Academy on Friday as St. Joseph made off with an 80-54 win. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 25 points or more this season.
St. Joseph got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ali Mayes out in front who went 7 for 11 on her way to 20 points and six rebounds. Mayes is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Jazelle Oropeza, who posted 18 points and six steals.
St. Joseph was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Orcutt Academy only racked up 12 assists.
Meanwhile, Mission College Prep entered their tilt with Morro Bay on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 47-36.
Mission College Prep's win came from a few key players St. Joseph will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mary Marsalek, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards. Lillie Parish was another key player, dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Mission College Prep pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.2 points per game. As for St. Joseph, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: St. Joseph just can't miss this season, having made 54.2% of their field goals per game. It's a different story for Mission College Prep, though, as they've only made 34% of their shots this season. Given St. Joseph's sizable advantage in that area, Mission College Prep will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for St. Joseph against Mission College Prep in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 72-24 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Joseph since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
