Basketball Recap: Julia Van Kampen and Emily Merema Secure Win for Unity Christian

Unity Christian waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They took down the Pathway Christian Panthers 39-20. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 325th in Illinois, while the Panthers are ranked 656th in Iowa), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading Unity Christian to victory were Emily Merema and Julia Van Kampen. Merema went 8 for 18 on her way to 17 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals, while Van Kampen went 6 of 13 on her way to 14 points and three steals. Merema has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Abi Middendorp, who posted two points and nine rebounds.

Despite the defeat, Pathway Christian saw an underclassman step up: freshman Maggie Shetler had nine points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals. That was a full 45% of Pathway Christian's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.

Unity Christian is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Pathway Christian, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-7.

Coincidentally, both will both be playing Morning Star Academy the next time they take the court. Pathway Christian will host Morning Star Academy at 5:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025, while Unity Christian will host them at 5:00 p.m. on January 9, 2025.