Basketball Game Preview: Heartland Christian Saints vs. Community Baptist Christian Cougars

The Heartland Christian Saints will square off against the Community Baptist Christian Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Heartland Christian is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Indiana Christian Academy on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Heartland Christian came up short against Indiana Christian Academy, falling 61-41. While losing is never fun, the Saints can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 349th, while the Whirlwinds are ranked 116th).

Meanwhile, Community Baptist Christian waltzed into their game on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They breezed past Colonial Christian to the tune of 77-47. With Community Baptist Christian ahead 38-16 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Heartland Christian better focus on containing Daviea Jones and Colton Aurand as the pair were huge in Community Baptist Christian's win. Jones dropped a double-double with 20 points and 13 boards, while Aurand went 9-for-13 en route to 25 points. What's more, Aurand also posted a 69% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's achieved since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Titus Clifton, who posted ten points along with seven assists and six rebounds.

Community Baptist Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.

Community Baptist Christian pushed their record up to 12-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.7 points over those games. As for Heartland Christian, they have been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 11 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season.

Heartland Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Community Baptist Christian in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 38-34 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Community Baptist Christian's Jay Clifton, who went 10-for-16 on his way to 21 points in addition to five steals and three blocks. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for Heartland Christian to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.