Basketball Game Preview: Palm Grove Christian Gators vs. Providence Christian Knights

Palm Grove Christian is 9-0 against Providence Christian since December of 2014 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Palm Grove Christian Gators just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Providence Christian Knights at 6:00 p.m. Palm Grove Christian is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.6 points per game this season.

On Thursday, everything went Palm Grove Christian's way against Land O' Lakes Christian as Palm Grove Christian made off with a 72-52 win. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Gators just coasted through the last quarter.

Gabe Troyer and Carter Baker were among the main playmakers for Palm Grove Christian as the former went 9 for 18 en route to 24 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals and the latter almost dropped a triple-double on 18 points, nine boards, and ten assists. Baker has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Pitts, who went 8 of 17 on his way to 19 points.

Palm Grove Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Providence Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They were outmatched by New Jerusalem Christian Academy and fell 69-17. The Knights were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 41-10.

The victory got Palm Grove Christian back to even at 9-9. As for Providence Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.

Everything came up roses for Palm Grove Christian against Providence Christian in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 70-43 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Palm Grove Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.