Basketball Game Preview: Hillcrest Christian Cougars vs. Clinton Christian Academy Warriors

Hillcrest Christian hasn't had much luck against Clinton Christian Academy recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hillcrest Christian Cougars will be home for the holidays to greet the Clinton Christian Academy Warriors at 7:30 p.m. Hillcrest Christian is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Hillcrest Christian got the win against Cathedral by a conclusive 68-44. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the Green Wave are ranked 253rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hillcrest Christian had a senior duo take command as Jordan Johnson dropped a double-double on 24 points and 19 boards and Jaivyn Carter dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Johnson a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Darius Barnes, who posted nine points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals.

Hillcrest Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Clinton Christian Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Cathedral on Saturday and fell 56-53.

Hillcrest Christian's win was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-5. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.9 points per game. As for Clinton Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.

Hillcrest Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Clinton Christian Academy in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 77-64. Will Hillcrest Christian repeat their success, or does Clinton Christian Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.