Basketball Game Preview: Trinity Christian Tigers vs. Christ Covenant Spartans

The Trinity Christian Tigers will square off against the Christ Covenant Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Trinity Christian and three for Christ Covenant.

Last Tuesday, Trinity Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 48-42 to Bethel Christian Academy.

The losing side was boosted by Christian LoPresti, who posted 13 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Drew Williams, who had nine points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Christ Covenant came up short against New Bern Christian Academy on Tuesday and fell 60-47. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 530th, while New Bern Christian Academy are ranked 193rd).

Loss or not, Christ Covenant got some senior leadership from Noah Stein and JD Dill. Stein scored 23 points and six boards, while Dill dropped a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds. Stein's evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points.

Trinity Christian's defeat dropped their record down to 11-20. As for Christ Covenant, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Trinity Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Christ Covenant struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Trinity Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Christ Covenant when the teams last played back in January, winning 54-43. The rematch might be a little tougher for Trinity Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.