Basketball Game Preview: Madison Mavericks vs. Churchill Chargers

The Madison Mavericks and the Churchill Chargers will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Madison is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Steele just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 71-54 bruising from the Knights. While losing is never fun, the Mavericks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 663rd, while the Knights are ranked 14th).

The losing side was boosted by Jordan Clay, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards. That's the most boards he has posted since back in November of 2023. Darien Howard was another key player, putting up seven points.

Meanwhile, Churchill came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They slipped by the Panthers 52-51.

Madison's defeat dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Churchill, their win bumped their record up to 13-7.

Madison barely slipped by Churchill in their previous meeting back in January, winning 58-57. Will Madison repeat their success, or does Churchill have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.