Basketball Recap: Mater Dei Piles Up the Points Against Okawville

Knights

Margin (Wins)

01/15/25 vs Granite City	39
11/23/24 vs Christ Our Rock Lutheran	37
12/27/24 vs Belleville West	35
11/23/24 vs Brownstown	32
12/28/24 vs Freeburg	31

You're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Mater Dei on Wednesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew the Okawville Rockets out of the water with a 57-29 final score. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 21 points or more this season.

Mater Dei got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Maris Zurliene out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten boards. Zurliene continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Alyssa Koerkenmeier was another key player, going 8 of 11 on her way to 16 points and five rebounds.

Mater Dei was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Okawville's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kenley Hackstadt, who posted 11 points. Another player making a difference was Caroline Tepe, who put up two points and seven boards.

Mater Dei's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-9. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.7 points. As for Okawville, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-9.

Coming up, Mater Dei will take on Belleville East at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Belleville East will roll in looking for their seventh straight victory, something Mater Dei surely won't give up without a fight. As for Okawville, they have already played their next match, a 66-26 win against Sparta on the 6th.