Elyria Catholic is 5-0 against North Olmsted since December of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Elyria Catholic Panthers will be playing at home against the North Olmsted Eagles at 12:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Elyria Catholic has five straight wins, North Olmsted has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Wednesday, Elyria Catholic strolled past Holy Name with points to spare, taking the game 66-50. Given Elyria Catholic's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 142nd, while Holy Name is ranked 556th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Elyria Catholic to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lexi Rodriquez, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Rodriquez has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Isabelle Niederst, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds.
North Olmsted suffered their biggest defeat yet this season last Wednesday. They were beaten by Rocky River 54-17. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points North Olmsted has scored all season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, North Olmsted struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Elyria Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for North Olmsted, their loss dropped their record down to 9-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Elyria Catholic have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Olmsted struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Elyria Catholic against North Olmsted in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 64-36 victory. Does Elyria Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Olmsted turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
