Basketball Game Preview: Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy Ospreys vs. North Cross Raiders

The Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy Ospreys will challenge the North Cross Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy easily dispatched Timberlake Christian on Thursday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy fell just short of Westover Christian Academy by a score of 47-44 on Tuesday. The Ospreys' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Despite the defeat, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy got top-tier performance from Adah Tuckwiller, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds. Tuckwiller has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Kelsey Threewitts, who posted 11 points and three steals.

Even though they lost, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 13 consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North Cross). They claimed a resounding 48-13 victory over Chatham Hall. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.

Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy better keep an eye on Tina Chiwata. She was instrumental in North Cross' win, going 10 of 20 on her way to 23 points. Remington Lewis was another key player, going 6 for 15 en route to 13 points.

Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy's loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 11-3. As for North Cross, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-12 record this season.