Basketball Game Preview: Father Ryan Irish vs. Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions

The Father Ryan Irish will head out to challenge the Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Father Ryan sitting on three straight victories and Christ Presbyterian Academy on five.

Father Ryan is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They enjoyed a cozy 65-49 win over St. Benedict at Auburndale on Tuesday. Given the Irish's advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th in Tennessee, while the Eagles are ranked 234th in Tennessee), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Christ Presbyterian Academy faced off against Ensworth two weeks ago. Christ Presbyterian Academy snuck past Ensworth with a 49-45 victory. The game was the first time the Lions have beaten the Tigers on their court since February 6, 2016.

Christ Presbyterian Academy pushed their record up to 17-5 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points over those games. As for Father Ryan, their victory bumped their record up to 22-5.

Father Ryan couldn't quite finish off Christ Presbyterian Academy when the teams last played on February 11th and fell 46-43. Can Father Ryan avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.