The NEO Sports Insiders Boys Basketball Game of the Week features a classic rivalry between Holy Name and Padua.
Both teams enter play unbeaten and the Green Wave (2-0) play host in this year’s only regular season meeting between the two teams.
Padua (3-0) has won two of the last three meetings, dominating Holy Name 81-52 in their most recent match on Dec. 15, 2015.
That last meeting was at Padua and the Green Wave will look to even things up on their home floor this time around, nearly one year later.
Since 2004, Holy Name has won 13 of the 23 meetings between the two teams, making this a fairly even rivalry for the past decade.
The Green Wave started the season off with wins at home against Bay and Elyria Catholic – both of whom are impressive teams and Great Lakes Conference rivals – and Holy Name’s high-powered offense was on display.
Holy Name scored 90 points in a shootout against Bay and put up 72 vs. Elyria Catholic.
Padua may not have needed to put up those kinds of numbers in their first three games, as the Bruins held all three opponents to 62 points or lower.
Based on the early season results from these teams, it appears fans could be in store for another high-scoring contest, as although the Green Wave have shown their efficiency on offense, allowing 142 points in two games is not typically an indication of a stout defense.
Padua’s offense has shown that it does not rely on one or two guys to get the job done, as the Bruins have had a different player lead the team in scoring in each of their first three games.
In all three games, Padua saw at least three different players reach double figures scoring.
Players to Watch
Holy Name
Junior guard Dwayne Cohill scored 38 points against Bay in the season opener, putting up 17 in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and added eight assists. He scored 26 in the win over Elyria Catholic.
Cohill is rated as the No. 1 2018 prospect in Ohio by 247sports and holds scholarship offers from Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia, Northwestern, among others.
6-10 senior center Malique Burton put up 28 points in his first two games and will be a handful for the Bruins to deal with down low.
Padua
Senior Jake Creadon scored a team-high 17 points in the season opener against Valley Forge.
Senior Nick Pullar led the Bruins with 21 points against Lutheran West and scored 11 in each of the other two games, averaging 14.3 through three games.
Senior Alex Ludwick scored a game-high 21 points against West Geauga and is averaging 15.3 points per contest.
Follow @NEOSportsInside on Twitter as our Holy Name correspondent Randy Maggio will be covering the game, posting live updates from the rivalry match.
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