Basketball Game Preview: Columbia Christian Crusaders vs. Lafayette County Cougars

The Columbia Christian Crusaders will head out to take on the Lafayette County Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Columbia Christian had taken Hermitage down for three straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Crusaders fell 55-51 to the Hermits.

Meanwhile, Lafayette County strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came out on top against Bearden by a score of 68-55.

Lafayette County's win came from a few key players Columbia Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jordan Walters, who went 7-for-10 en route to 15 points and eight rebounds. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in assists (three). Another player making a difference was Ty Palermo, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 19 boards.

Lafayette County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 19 offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.

Lafayette County's record is now 3-0. As for Columbia Christian, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Columbia Christian came up short against Lafayette County in their previous matchup back in February, falling 50-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Palermo, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Now that the Crusaders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.