Basketball Game Preview: Hickory Grove Christian Lions vs. Concord Academy Eagles

Hickory Grove Christian hasn't had much luck against Concord Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Hickory Grove Christian Lions will head out on the road to square off against the Concord Academy Eagles at 5:30 p.m. Hickory Grove Christian has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.

Hickory Grove Christian managed to keep up with Gaston Christian until halftime on Tuesday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Hickory Grove Christian lost 67-44 to Gaston Christian. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 335th, while the Eagles are ranked 149th).

Hickory Grove Christian's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Lauren Feaster, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards, and Mackenzie Williams, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 21 points. Williams is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for four straight games.

Meanwhile, Concord Academy entered their tilt with SouthLake Christian Academy on Tuesday with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. They claimed a resounding 85-13 victory over the Eagles. With Concord Academy ahead 51-9 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Hickory Grove Christian now has a losing record at 9-10. As for Concord Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won 17 of their last 20 games, which provided a nice bump to their 21-6 record this season.

Hickory Grove Christian took a serious blow against Concord Academy in their previous meeting two weeks ago, falling 72-2. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Hickory Grove Christian was down 46-1.