Basketball Game Preview: Crespi Celts vs. Liberty Lions

The Crespi Celts and the Liberty Lions will round out the year against one another at at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Saturday, Crespi made easy work of Thousand Oaks and carried off a 64-43 victory. The Celts have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 20 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Crespi to victory, but perhaps none more so than Preston Cole, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Peyton White, who went 6 of 8 en route to 15 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Liberty ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They escaped with a win against Overland by the margin of a single free throw, 70-69.

Liberty's win came from a few key players Crespi will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jacob Hunter, who posted 19 points along with seven boards and four blocks. Those four blocks gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Duguid, who went 8 of 10 on his way to 19 points.

Liberty smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Crespi is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.5 points per game. As for Liberty, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Crespi has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.