The St. Francis Red Raiders's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They fell 61-53 to St. John's Prep. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as St. Francis came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 245th, while St. John's Prep is ranked 580th).
Several Red Raiders players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jeremiah Neely, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds. The game was Neely's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Leyton Roberts was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
St. Francis has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season. As for St. John's Prep, their win bumped their record up to 2-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. Francis and St. Mary's will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 3rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. St. Mary's knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three contests -- so hopefully St. Francis likes a good challenge. As for St. John's Prep, they will be playing at home against Moore Catholic at 1:00 p.m. on January 7th. Moore Catholic has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 277 points over their last four matchups.
