The Master's Hand Christian Warriors will take on the Mt. Pleasant Christian Lions in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Master's Hand Christian sitting on seven straight wins and Mt. Pleasant Christian on four.
Master's Hand Christian will bounce into Monday's matchup after beating Marshall Christian Academy, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Master's Hand Christian put the hurt on Marshall Christian Academy with a sharp 72-48 victory on Friday. While the Warriors didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Braedon Canuteson and Branson Solomon were among the main playmakers for Master's Hand Christian as the former went 5 of 11 en route to 12 points along with five boards and five steals and the latter went 6 of 9 on his way to 14 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniel Nason, who posted eight points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Master's Hand Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Mt. Pleasant Christian got the win against Marshall Christian Academy on Tuesday by a conclusive 58-33. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 21 points or more this season.
Mt. Pleasant Christian's win came from a few key players Master's Hand Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Karson Battles, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 14 points and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jon Caden Moon, who had 14 points and six rebounds.
Mt. Pleasant Christian pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.7 points per game. As for Master's Hand Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Master's Hand Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 44.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Mt. Pleasant Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Master's Hand Christian was taken down by Mt. Pleasant Christian 51-23 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Thankfully for Master's Hand Christian, Clay Boatman (who went 7 of 13 on his way to 17 points along with seven boards and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
