Preview: Northside Christian Academy Crusaders vs. Grace Christian Crusaders
Northside Christian Academy has been on the road for two straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Grace Christian Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully Northside Christian Academy is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Grace Christian in their respective states (Northside Christian Academy is ranked 87th in South Carolina, while Grace Christian is ranked 279th in North Carolina).
Last Friday, Northside Christian Academy was the victim of a rough 74-54 defeat at the hands of Ben Lippen. Northside Christian Academy was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-24.
Despite the defeat, Northside Christian Academy saw an underclassman step up: Luke Bohnsack scored 17 points along with five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Bohnsack scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sullie Crider, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, even though Freedom Christian Academy scored an imposing 66 points on Friday, Grace Christian still came out on top. Grace Christian took their matchup against Freedom Christian Academy 73-66.
Grace Christian relied on the efforts of Nate Jones, who scored 18 points, and Ma'Kyi Butler, who scored 20 points. The game was Butler's 12th in a row with at least ten points. Jimmy Zimmerman was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Northside Christian Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Grace Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 6-7 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Northside Christian Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Grace Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 28 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
