The Santa Fe Catholic Hawks will take on the Bell Creek Academy Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Santa Fe Catholic knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past 18 games -- so hopefully Bell Creek Academy likes a good challenge.
With a playoff game on the line, Santa Fe Catholic rose to the challenge on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 64-44 margin over the Crusaders. Santa Fe Catholic has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 games by 20 points or more this season.
Santa Fe Catholic got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Toby Lane out in front who scored nine points along with eight assists and eight steals. Lane is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tate Darner, who scored 16 points along with seven assists and two steals.
Meanwhile, Bell Creek Academy waltzed into their contest on Thursday with two straight wins but they left with three. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 67-40 win over Lakeland Christian. Bell Creek Academy pushed the score to 60-28 by the end of the third, a deficit Lakeland Christian cut but never quite recovered from.
Bell Creek Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Caleb Sanders, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sanders has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 13 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jermal Jones, who scored 13 points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Santa Fe Catholic pushed their record up to 23-4 with that win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for Bell Creek Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 15-11 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Santa Fe Catholic and Bell Creek Academy are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Santa Fe Catholic hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 67.4 points per game. However, it's not like Bell Creek Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 63.8 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Santa Fe Catholic came up short against Bell Creek Academy in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 44-31. Can Santa Fe Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
