After two games on the road, Hart is heading back home. They will be home for the holidays to greet the St. Joseph Knights at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hart scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They blew past Orcutt Academy 74-44 on the road. Given Hart's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while Orcutt Academy is ranked 535th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hart to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lily Cornejo, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points and 3 assists. That's the first time this season that Cornejo scored 15 or more points. Morgan Mack was another key contributor, scoring 21 points along with eight assists and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph waltzed into their contest Tuesday with three straight wins but they left with four. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 94-16 win over Santa Ynez. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win St. Joseph has managed all season.
St. Joseph had a senior duo take command as Avary Cain dropped a double-double on 25 points and 12 steals and Kai Oani scored 25 points along with eight assists and six steals. The match was Cain's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Maava Sat, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Hart's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for St. Joseph, they pushed their record up to 5-1 with that win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hart have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
