Christ Chapel Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They walked away with a 50-43 win over Saint John Paul the Great Catholic. This was payback for Christ Chapel Academy, who suffered a 57-32 defeat the last time these two teams met.
It was another big night for Zaria Gaskins, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 13 rebounds. The matchup was her ninth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Maya Brantley, who scored 14 points along with three steals.
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Saleema Tinner, who scored 19 points along with nine rebounds, and Talia Mendez-Rodriguez who scored nine points along with 11 rebounds and five steals. Those five steals set a new season-high mark for her.
Even though they lost, Saint John Paul the Great Catholic were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Christ Chapel Academy only pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
Christ Chapel Academy is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. As for Saint John Paul the Great Catholic, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.
Christ Chapel Academy will head out on the road to face off against St. Michael the Archangel at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. St. Michael the Archangel's defense has only allowed 29.7 points per game this season, so Christ Chapel Academy's offense will have their work cut out for Christ Chapel Academy. As for Saint John Paul the Great Catholic, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against Immanuel Christian at 5:00 p.m. Immanuel Christian has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since November 28.
