Basketball Game Preview: Hickory Grove Christian Lions vs. Patrick Henry Academy Patriots

The Hickory Grove Christian Lions and the Patrick Henry Academy Patriots will round out the year against one another at at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hickory Grove Christian has four straight wins, Patrick Henry Academy has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Hickory Grove Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They put the hurt on Johnson County with a sharp 77-52 victory on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Patrick Henry Academy managed to keep up with Lewis County until halftime on Saturday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Patrick Henry Academy came up short against Lewis County, falling 82-61. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 244th in South Carolina, while the Lions are ranked 118th in Kentucky).

Hickory Grove Christian will need focus on slowing down Rowen Croft, one of several Patrick Henry Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. Croft is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Daivon Glover, who went 5 of 11 en route to 16 points and three steals.

Patrick Henry Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Hickory Grove Christian, their win bumped their record up to 7-8.