Basketball Game Preview: Saydel Eagles vs. Grand View Christian Thunder

The Saydel Eagles and the Grand View Christian Thunder will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Saydel has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight losses, while Grand View Christian will come in with seven straight wins.

It was a Battle of the Birds when Saydel faced off against Perry on Tuesday. Saydel took a 63-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of Perry. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 156th, while the Bluejays are ranked 49th).

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Grand View Christian against Pella Christian on Thursday as the team secured an 82-49 victory. The Thunder have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 29 points or more this season.

Grand View Christian's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 41.8 points. As for Saydel, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.