The St. James Academy Thunder waltzed into their match on Thursday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They walked away with a 49-42 win over Olathe Northwest. Given St. James Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while Olathe Northwest is ranked 129th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading St. James Academy to victory were Katelyn Menghini and Elle Robinson. Menghini scored 17 points along with five assists and three steals, while Robinson scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Menghini has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Mallie Irsik, who scored seven points along with five assists.
St. James Academy's win was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.7 points per game. As for Olathe Northwest, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. St. James Academy will take on St. Teresa's Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Olathe Northwest, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Lawrence Free State at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lawrence Free State has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 15.
