Basketball Game Preview: Lanier Christian Academy Lightning vs. Young Americans Christian Eagles

The Lanier Christian Academy Lightning will take on the Young Americans Christian Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Lanier Christian Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 25 matches.

Lanier Christian Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Cherokee Christian 98-73. The Lightning have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 contests by 25 points or more this season.

Gavin Sewell-Strabala

Points (Career)

02/14/25 vs Cherokee Christian	24
12/06/24 vs Johnson Ferry Christian Academy	23
12/16/24 vs Westminster Christian Academy	20
12/20/24 vs Hurricane	17
01/09/25 @ Peachtree Academy	16

Lanier Christian Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gavin Sewell-Strabala, who went 7-for-10 en route to 24 points along with eight boards and five assists. The dominant performance gave Sewell-Strabala a new career-high in points. Xavier Barber was another key player, going 7-for-8 to rack up 17 points in addition to three steals and three blocks.

Lanier Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 14 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Young Americans Christian hadn't done well against Trinity Christian School of Griffin recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Young Americans Christian came out on top against Trinity Christian School of Griffin by a score of 51-44. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Eagles.

Lanier Christian Academy pushed their record up to 21-5 with the win, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.1 points over those games. As for Young Americans Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 13-6.

Lanier Christian Academy strolled past Young Americans Christian in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 86-69. Will Lanier Christian Academy repeat their success, or does Young Americans Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.