Game Time / Location
6pm today, Resurrection CSS.
Season Series
RCSS 2-0 (W 27-24 & W 35-28)
How They Got Here
Resurrection: Defeated #4 St. Mary's 57-12.
St. David: Defeated #2 St. Benedict 44-43.
Key Players
Resurrection: Celia McGlynn (D8's leading scorer at 16.8 PPG); Kelsey Caza; Patricia Enrique.
St. David: Bobbi-Sue Hentges; Heather Sandall; Ciara Dunne.
Preview
Entering the D8 playoffs, most people were expecting an "all AAAA" battle between the top two seeds, Resurrection and St. Benedict.
St. David spoiled that party on Wednesday by squeaking past the Saints in a 44-43 thriller. Resurrection, meanwhile, dominated St. Mary's in a 57-12 win.
Like other years, you have to wonder if playing a competitive semifinal game will be an advantage for the Celtics. Resurrection has had a relatively easy schedule of late (finishing their schedule at winless Rockway).
Rez is the league's top offensive unit, having finished the regular season averaging over 46 PPG. That being said, St. David was the top defensive squad on the season, giving up a measly 20.9 PPG overall.
I would suggest that the Phoenix would like to play this game in the 40s, while St. David would likely be more comfortable with the score in the low 30s, although they did show the ability to come through in a relatively "high scoring" D8 semifinal.
Both teams have MVP-candidates that headline their listing of key players. G-F Celia McGlynn led the D8 in scoring this past season, while Bobbi-Sue Hentges has been great at both ends of the floor for St. David. Look for both players to leave their fingerprints on the outcome of this contest.
Resurrection enters as the favourite, but based upon some of the above factors it's probably not by a prohibitive margin. If St. David can contain McGlynn like they were able to last time these teams met (8 points in a 35-28 RCSS win on October 24th) --- they certainly have a chance of walking away with the title.
Mark's Pick: Resurrection 35, St. David 31.
