Preview: Hilltop Christian Chargers vs. Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots
Having just played yesterday, the Hilltop Christian Chargers will head out on the road to face off against the Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots at 8:00 p.m. on February 9th. Hilltop Christian is looking to tack on another W to their seven-game streak on the road.
Hilltop Christian stacked an 11th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They breezed by Wilson Christian Academy on the road to the tune of 62-26. Given Hilltop Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 185th, while Wilson Christian Academy is ranked 624th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hilltop Christian got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Caleb Manriquez out in front who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Manriquez has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 12 times he's played. Judah Lee was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Wilmington Christian Academy's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 44-30 bruising from Bethel Christian Academy.
Hilltop Christian is on a roll lately: they've won 20 of their last 21 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season. As for Wilmington Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 2-14.
Hilltop Christian strolled past Wilmington Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 by a score of 60-44. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hilltop 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.
