Basketball Game Preview: Northwestern Warriors vs. Emmanuel Christian Academy Lions

The Northwestern Warriors will face off against the Emmanuel Christian Academy Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Northwestern will be strutting in after a victory while Emmanuel Christian Academy will be coming in after a loss.

Northwestern is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed a 50-44 win over Indian Lake on Saturday. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Warriors' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 715th, while the Lakers are ranked 327th).

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Christian Academy played a tough match on Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Newton Local and fell 51-20. The Lions have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Northwestern will have to keep a close watch on Macey Hudson and Mya Lawrence, a pair of players who had a big impact on Emmanuel Christian Academy's prior game. Hudson posted six points and nine blocks, while Lawrence put up four points and five steals. Those nine blocks gave Hudson a new career-high. Nevaeh Skaggs also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.

Emmanuel Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 5-11. As for Northwestern, their win ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-15.

Everything came up roses for Northwestern against Emmanuel Christian Academy when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 61-19 victory. Will Northwestern repeat their success, or does Emmanuel Christian Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.