The Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders will head out on the road to face off against the Broughton Capitals at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Broughton took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Cardinal Gibbons, who comes in off a win.
Cardinal Gibbons scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 80-50 win over Leesville Road. Given Cardinal Gibbons' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while Leesville Road is ranked 256th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cardinal Gibbons' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cash McSweeney, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Smalls, who scored 18 points along with five assists and four steals.
Meanwhile, Broughton came up short against Sanderson on Friday and fell 63-54.
Despite their defeat, Broughton saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jordan Page, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Page has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Hudson Fitzgerald, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Cardinal Gibbons is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. As for Broughton, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Cardinal Gibbons have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Broughton, though, as they've been averaging only 31.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cardinal Gibbons couldn't quite finish off Broughton in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 and fell 58-56. Can Cardinal Gibbons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
