The Aquinas Academy Crusaders will head out to face off against the Serra Catholic Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Aquinas Academy has three straight victories, Serra Catholic has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Two weeks ago, Aquinas Academy got the win against Western Beaver by a conclusive 52-26. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Elliot Keverline
| 01/21/25 @ Sewickley Academy | 8 |
| 12/10/24 @ Freeport | 7 |
| 02/06/25 vs Western Beaver | 5 |
| 01/10/25 vs Chartiers-Houston | 5 |
| 01/17/25 vs Union Area | 4 |
| + 12 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Aquinas Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Elliot Keverline, who went 8-for-14 to rack up 18 points along with six boards and five steals. Aquinas Academy is 9-1 when Keverline posts three or more steals, but 5-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Kay Chufo, who went 6-for-12 en route to 12 points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Serra Catholic lost to Winchester Thurston on the road by a 64-45 margin last Monday.
Aquinas Academy will have to contain Bella Dumbroski as she made an impact in Serra Catholic's last game. She went 11-for-22 on her way to 25 points in addition to six assists and five boards. Dumbroski has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Kendalyn Niedermeyer was another key player, putting up nine points along with five assists and three steals.
Aquinas Academy pushed their record up to 14-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points over those games. As for Serra Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 12-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Aquinas Academy has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Serra Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Aquinas Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Serra Catholic when the teams last played back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 53-49 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Aquinas Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
