The DeMatha Stags and the Bishop O'Connell Knights will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. DeMatha is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
DeMatha is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Eagle Academy, who was ranked seventh in their home state at the time (DeMatha was ranked third). DeMatha was the clear victor by a 68-46 margin over Eagle Academy on Saturday. The Stags have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 22 points or more this season.
| 12/14/24 vs Eagle Academy | 4 |
| 12/13/24 vs Howard | 3 |
| 12/10/24 vs Archbishop Carroll | 2 |
| 12/08/24 vs Highland | 1 |
| 12/07/24 vs Brennan | 4 |
DeMatha got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jamaal McKnight Jr. out in front who went 6 for 7 on his way to 15 points in addition to seven assists and four steals. With that strong performance, McKnight Jr. is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashton (Ace) Meeks, who went 8 for 19 on his way to 19 points.
Bishop O'Connell has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 67-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Combine Academy National on Wednesday.
DeMatha will have to contain Darius Bivins as he made an impact in Bishop O'Connell's last game. He went 9 of 15 on his way to 22 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Morrison, who posted nine points.
Even though they lost, Bishop O'Connell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.
Bishop O'Connell's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for DeMatha, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. DeMatha hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 68.4 points per game. However, it's not like Bishop O'Connell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 60.1 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
DeMatha strolled past Bishop O'Connell in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 64-50. Does DeMatha have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bishop O'Connell turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
