Basketball Game Preview: Grace Academy Lions vs. Walnut Grove Christian Christian Warriors

Two dominant guards in Carson Payne and AJ Curerton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Grace Academy Lions will venture away from home to challenge the Walnut Grove Christian Christian Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

Grace Academy is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Metrolina Christian Academy just ended the team's ten-game winning streak on Monday. They came up short against the Warriors, falling 69-49. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Lions have suffered since November 12th.

Meanwhile, Walnut Grove Christian earned a 66-59 win over Riverwalk Academy two weeks ago.

Walnut Grove Christian's win came from a few key players Grace Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Curerton, who posted 25 points. His evening made it 12 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jake Schlosser, who scored 17 points.

Walnut Grove Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.1 points per game. As for Grace Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 10-2.

Grace Academy came up short against Walnut Grove Christian in their previous matchup back in December of 2015, falling 62-57. Can Grace Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.