Basketball Game Preview: Norfolk Catholic Knights vs. Stanton Mustangs

The Norfolk Catholic Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Stanton Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Norfolk Catholic will be strutting in after a victory while Stanton will be coming in after a defeat.

On Tuesday, Norfolk Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] as they won 52-36.

Sidonia Wattier was a one-woman wrecking crew for Norfolk Catholic as she went 7 for 16 on her way to 16 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. Those five steals gave Wattier a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Eva Hartzell, who posted 12 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Stanton lost to West Point-Beemer at home by a 54-35 margin on Tuesday. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Cadets recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Despite the loss, Stanton saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hayden Dixon put up ten points. Another player making a difference was Bergan Pohlman, who had six points.

Stanton now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Norfolk Catholic, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Norfolk Catholic has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Stanton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Norfolk Catholic against Stanton when the teams last played back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 57-28 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Norfolk Catholic since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.