Basketball Preview: Heartland Christian Saints vs. Legacy Christian Grizzlies
Heartland Christian has been on the road for nine straight, but on Tuesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Legacy Christian Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
After soaring to a 28-point win in their last game, Heartland Christian came back down to earth on Thursday. They fell just short of Suburban Christian by a score of 43-41.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Landon Clemens, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Penticuff, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Legacy Christian's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a hard 50-36 fall against Varsity Opponent.
Like Legacy Christian, they lost despite seeing results from several players. Nicolas Thomas led the charge by dropping a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 58.3% of Legacy Christian's points, marking the eighth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Seth Harper was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with three steals.
Heartland Christian's loss ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7. As for Legacy Christian, they dropped their record down to 8-11 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Heartland Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Legacy Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Heartland Christian beat the Grizzlies 54-41 in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Does Heartland Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Grizzlies turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
