St. Francis boys basketball hosts struggling Trinity Catholic

The St. Francis Wolves will try to defend their home court on Wednesday night against the Trinity Catholic Celtics. The Wolves look to build on momentum gained the last week, winning two straight against Buchholz and Vanguard. It has been an inconsistent season for St. Francis, winning no more than two games in a row. However, they still sit above .500, at 10-7, entering the battle with the Celtics.

Eyes set on districts

A win over Trinity Catholic would go a long way in helping St. Francis gain a favorable draw in the district tournament that will take plays in a few weeks. Currently, the Wolves are a perfect 4-0 in their district (2A District 2). However, district rival St. John Lutheran has a better overall record at 12-4. St. Francis does hold the tiebreaker over them, winning 64-52 a few weeks ago. The two squads will continue to wrestle for the number one seed in the district tournament, and a victory on Wednesday will help the Wolves immensely.

 Possible Panic for the Celtics

As for Trinity Catholic, they have struggled out of the gate this season. Their current record is 5-11 and are coming off of a double-digit loss to P.K Younge. There is reason for hope, however. The Celtics beat district rival Father Lopez by two last week and are still very much in contention to make a run in their district playoffs (3A District 3). Wednesday night will be quite a test for them, though, as the Wolves are averaging 58.1 points per game.

Names to watch

Ashton Lovette, St. Francis

Lovette is only a sophomore, but is one of the Wolves’ top contributors on a per game basis, averaging 9.6 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. Getting the 6’1″ underclassman involved early and often will be key to a St Francis victory.

Aidan Newman, St. Francis

Newman is fourth in the district in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per contest. He is hot as well, coming off a 14-point outing against Buchholtz. Newman does a lot of his damage from the outside, knocking down 43 percent of his three-point attempts so far this year. He’s also a threat on the defensive end of the floor, snagging 20 steals thus far. If the Celtics have any shot at beating the Wolves, they are going to have to guard Newman tight around the perimeter and be cautious of him when they have the ball as well.

Location

The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 22 and will take place at St Francis.