Preview: Southside Christian Warriors vs. Hilltop Christian Chargers
Southside Christian is 0-4 against Hilltop Christian since November of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Southside Christian Warriors are on the road again and play against the Hilltop Christian Chargers at 6:15 p.m. on December 4th. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Saturday, Southside Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Upstate HomeSchool, but they still walked away with a 44-38 victory. That's two games straight that Southside Christian has won by exactly six points.
It was another big night for Luke Boush, who scored 28 points along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which he has scored at least 25% of Southside Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Evans, who scored 5 points along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Meanwhile, Hilltop Christian entered their tilt with Faith Christian with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Hilltop Christian blew past Faith Christian 57-33. Given Hilltop Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 51st, while Faith Christian is ranked 268th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Caleb Manriquez continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. The match was his fourth in a row with at least ten points. Caleb Barbour was another key contributor, scoring 10 points along with 7 rebounds.
Southside Christian's win bumped their season record to 4-1 while Upstate HomeSchool's defeat dropped theirs to 0-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Southside Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 21.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hilltop Christian struggles in that department as they've been even better at 29.5 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Southside Christian was dealt a bruising 65-31 loss at the hands of Hilltop Christian when the teams last played back in February. Can Southside Christian avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
