The Salpointe Catholic Lancers will venture away from home to square off against the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Salpointe Catholic will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
On Saturday, Salpointe Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Notre Dame Prep as they won 65-51. Given the Lancers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while the Saints are ranked 66th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Salpointe Catholic found their leader in freshman Erin Even, who went 7-for-11 en route to 15 points in addition to six boards and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Abuk Lual, who posted four points along with 11 rebounds and five steals.
Salpointe Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Walden Grove on Wednesday, taking the game 56-46. The win continues a trend for the Nighthawks in their matchups with the Red Wolves: they've now won four in a row.
Salpointe Catholic better focus on containing Myla Elslager and Serenity Hampton as the pair were huge in Ironwood Ridge's win. Elslager shot 53% from the field on her way to 21 points in addition to six boards and four steals, while Hampton dropped a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it 15 consecutive games in which Hampton has scored at least a third of Ironwood Ridge's points. Another player making a difference was Scarlett Barton, who earned four points and four steals.
Salpointe Catholic's record now sits at 21-3. As for Ironwood Ridge, their record is now 10-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Salpointe Catholic has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Ironwood Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Salpointe Catholic against Ironwood Ridge in their previous meeting back in January, as the squad secured a 63-34 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lancers since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
