Basketball Game Preview: Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots vs. Living Water Christian Warriors

Wilmington Christian Academy is on a eight-game streak of home wins, while Living Water Christian is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots will welcome the Living Water Christian Warriors at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

On Tuesday, Wilmington Christian Academy beat Liberty Christian Academy 61-52. That's two games straight that the Patriots have won by exactly nine points.

Wilmington Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Trent Davies led the charge by going 7 of 13 on his way to 20 points in addition to six assists and six steals. Davies is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 20 games he's played. Logan Mattox was another key player, going 6 for 11 en route to 17 points.

Meanwhile, Living Water Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Wilson Christian Academy on Thursday, taking the game 62-53. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 258th, while the Chargers are ranked 621st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Living Water Christian's win came from a few key players Wilmington Christian Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaiden Cooper, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 rebounds. Those 22 points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Peyton Pennington, who went 8 of 14 on his way to 20 points and five boards.

Wilmington Christian Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a massive bump to their 14-9 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.2 points per game. As for Living Water Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 13-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wilmington Christian Academy has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 22.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Living Water Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.