The Roncalli Royals will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Washington Hatchets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Roncalli has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Washington will arrive with 11 straight wins.
Roncalli is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Gibson Southern on Saturday. Roncalli took a 50-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gibson Southern.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Elliot Leffler and Gabby Spink. Spink had a solid game and posted 14 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Leffler did her best for the losing side, putting up nine points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Washington took their match on Saturday with ease, bagging a 58-9 victory over Mt. Vernon. The Hatchets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 21 points or more this season.
Washington's win came from a few key players Roncalli will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Katie Reed, who went 8 of 14 on her way to 17 points and six steals. Those six steals gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Shay Hawk, who put up eight points along with eight steals and five assists.
Washington smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they hit their own glass that hard.
Washington pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.8 points per game. As for Roncalli, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Roncalli has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Washington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Roncalli couldn't quite finish off Washington in their previous matchup back in January of 2021 and fell 51-48. Can Roncalli avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
