Basketball Game Preview: Saint Viator Lions vs. Harvest Christian Academy Lions

The Saint Viator Lions will square off against the Harvest Christian Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Saint Viator will be strutting in after a victory while Harvest Christian Academy will be coming in after a loss.

Saint Viator took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They enjoyed a cozy 72-54 win over Francis W. Parker. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 86th, while the Colonels are ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Harvest Christian Academy's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They were outmatched by South Beloit and fell 72-45.

Saint Viator has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.4 points per game. As for Harvest Christian Academy, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-15.

Everything went Saint Viator's way against Harvest Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as Saint Viator made off with a 77-51 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Harvest Christian Academy's Caleb Callahan, who went 9 of 13 on his way to 22 points and eight boards. Now that he won't be playing on Monday, will it be easier for Saint Viator to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.