Basketball Game Preview: First Coast Christian Knights vs. First Baptist Christian Academy Crusaders

The First Coast Christian Knights are taking a road trip to face off against the First Baptist Christian Academy Crusaders at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

First Coast Christian is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Eagle's View just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They were beaten by the Warriors 59-20. While losing is never fun, the Knights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 493rd, while the Warriors are ranked 240th).

Meanwhile, First Baptist Christian Academy put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Washington Classical Christian 70-33. With the Crusaders ahead 40-15 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

First Baptist Christian Academy's win came from a few key players First Coast Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Julia (Jay) Rose, who went 8 for 11 on her way to 18 points in addition to six assists and six boards. Rose is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Paiden Hickman was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds.

First Baptist Christian Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

First Baptist Christian Academy's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-0. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for First Coast Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 5-7.

Things could have been worse for First Coast Christian, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 47-28 loss to First Baptist Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rose, who went 6 of 15 on her way to 14 points along with six steals and five boards. Now that First Coast Christian knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.