Basketball Game Preview: Faith Lutheran Crusaders vs. Shadow Ridge Mustangs

The Faith Lutheran Crusaders will venture away from home to take on the Shadow Ridge Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Faith Lutheran is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Democracy Prep Agassi Campus, who was ranked first at the time (Faith Lutheran was ranked tenth). Faith Lutheran took a blow against Democracy Prep Agassi Campus on Thursday, falling 64-26. The Crusaders haven't had much luck with the Blue Knights recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Despite the defeat, Faith Lutheran saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Khloe Pitts posted six points. Pitts continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Emma Herpin was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Shadow Ridge had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.4 points) and they went ahead and made it eight on Thursday. They blew past the Wildcats, posting a 70-33 victory. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 20 points or more this season.

Shadow Ridge's win came from a few key players Faith Lutheran will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaslyn Jefferson, who earned 28 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Freeman, who had 19 points.

Shadow Ridge pushed their record up to 15-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27 points. As for Faith Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to 13-12.

Faith Lutheran came up short against Shadow Ridge when the teams last played back in January, falling 60-50. Can Faith Lutheran avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.