Forest Lake Christian is 9-0 against Encina since January of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Forest Lake Christian Falcons will challenge the Encina Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Forest Lake Christian has three straight victories, Encina has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Last Friday, Forest Lake Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Victory Christian, taking the game 39-29.
| 01/31/25 @ Victory Christian | 18 |
| 01/28/25 vs John Adams Academy Rsvl/Lin | 19 |
| 01/24/25 vs Foresthill | 10 |
| 01/21/25 @ Sacramento Waldorf | 13 |
| 01/14/25 vs Futures | 11 |
Forest Lake Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kenzie Harrington led the charge by dropping a double-double on 12 points and 18 boards. Harrington has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more rebounds the last 17 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Jordan Bell, who posted 19 points along with five boards and three blocks.
Forest Lake Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 19 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Encina played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Sacramento Waldorf, falling 44-24. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1172nd, while the Waves are ranked 572nd).
Forest Lake Christian will need focus on slowing down Elise Brandon, one of several Encina players who made an impact when they last played. She dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. Khaliah McDonald was another key player, putting up five points and 17 boards.
Forest Lake Christian is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. As for Encina, their loss dropped their record down to 5-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Forest Lake Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Encina struggles in that department as they've been averaging 64.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Forest Lake Christian against Encina in their previous meeting back in January, as the team secured a 61-32 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Forest Lake Christian since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
