Jeannette is 0-5 against St. Joseph since January of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Jeannette Jayhawks will be playing at home against the St. Joseph Spartans at 6:00 p.m. The timing isn't great for Jeannette: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while St. Joseph has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Jeannette suffered their biggest defeat since December 1, 2023 on Monday. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 48-22 walloping at the hands of Burrell. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Jeannette has scored all season.
Despite the defeat, Jeannette saw an underclassman step up: Navarah Smith scored 16 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They came out on top against Taylor Allderdice by a score of 75-65. Given St. Joseph's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 146th, while Taylor Allderdice is ranked 318th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Joseph's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julie Spinelli, who scored 24 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Spinelli has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last 11 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Swierczewski, who scored 23 points along with eight rebounds.
Jeannette has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season. As for St. Joseph, their win bumped their record up to 15-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Jeannette have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Jeannette was taken down by St. Joseph 56-28 in their previous meeting on January 4th. Will Jeannette have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
