The Victory Christian Academy Knights lost to the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders back in November of 2022, but the Victory Christian Academy Knights didn't allow the Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders the same satisfaction on Thursday. Victory Christian Academy came out on top against Mater Dei Catholic by a score of 54-44. Given Victory Christian Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while Mater Dei Catholic is ranked 462nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Victory Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mai'ana Norita led the charge by scoring 22 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Norita is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Abella, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Mater Dei Catholic lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Valentina Aranalde, who scored 14 points along with three steals. Promise Martin was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Victory Christian Academy's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points per game. As for Mater Dei Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.
Victory Christian Academy won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Otay Ranch at 6:00 p.m. on January 19th. Averaging 49.4 so far this season, Otay Ranch's high-powered offense has been in full-swing lately, so Victory Christian Academy better be ready for a challenge. Mater Dei Catholic will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Imperial at 12:00 p.m. on January 20th. Imperial will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
