Preview: Conestoga Christian Cougars vs. Linville Hill
The Conestoga Christian Cougars will head out on the road to square off against Linville Hill at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Conestoga Christian has struggled recently with 15 losses in a row, while Linville Hill will arrive with three straight victories.
Last Friday, Conestoga Christian opened the new year with a less-than-successful 20-15 loss to they.
Aubrey Weaver was Conestoga Christian's leading scorer, having posted seven points.
Hannah Howell held things down on the boards with eight rebounds. She took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with three assists.
Meanwhile, Linville Hill can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent contest on Wednesday. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 67-35 victory over Lancaster Mennonite. Linville Hill's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
It was another big night for Desiree Smucker, who shot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten steals. Smucker is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Ellie Rishel, who scored 15 points along with three steals.
Conestoga Christian's defeat was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 0-9. As for Linville Hill, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Conestoga Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Linville Hill, though, as they've been averaging only 27.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Conestoga Christian took a serious blow against Linville Hill in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 58-6. The match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Conestoga Christian was down 34-6.
