Basketball Game Preview: Indian Rocks Christian Eagles vs. Canterbury Crusaders

Indian Rocks Christian hasn't had much luck against Canterbury recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Indian Rocks Christian Eagles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Canterbury Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. One thing working in Indian Rocks Christian's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five games.

Indian Rocks Christian's tournament run continued when they took on Bayshore on Saturday. Indian Rocks Christian breezed by Bayshore to the tune of 62-27. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 35 points or more this season.

Austin McDonnell and Will Murphree were among the main playmakers for Indian Rocks Christian as the former dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 boards and the latter dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten assists. Murphree's afternoon made it nine games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Adam Zima, who posted eight points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Canterbury came up short against Saint Stephen's Episcopal on Friday and fell 50-39. The Crusaders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the defeat, Canterbury saw an underclassman step up: freshman Brooks Merrill went 6 of 14 on his way to 15 points and seven steals. Merrill is becoming a predictor of Canterbury's success: when he posts at least three steals the team is 4-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylen Thomas, who had eight points and five rebounds.

Indian Rocks Christian has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for Canterbury, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Indian Rocks Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Canterbury struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Indian Rocks Christian came up short against Canterbury in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 45-38. Will Indian Rocks Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.