Basketball Game Preview: Ridgeview Christian Crusaders vs. Temple Christian Crusaders

Ridgeview Christian and Temple Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Ridgeview Christian Crusaders will head out on the road to square off against the Temple Christian Crusaders at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday.

Ridgeview Christian is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Appalachian Christian School on Monday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Ridgeview Christian had to suffer through a 84-44 loss at the hands of Appalachian Christian School. While losing is never fun, the Crusaders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 385th, while the Trailblazers are ranked 152nd).

While Temple Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-10), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Grace Christian by a score of 60-53 last Friday.

Temple Christian's win came from a few key players Ridgeview Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyler Cash, who went 6 for 9 on his way to 19 points and five rebounds. That's the most points he has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Silas Walker, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.

Temple Christian is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Ridgeview Christian, their defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-7.

Ridgeview Christian beat Temple Christian 58-47 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ridgeview Christian since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.