Basketball Game Preview: Riverdale Baptist Crusaders vs. Highland Hawks

Riverdale Baptist hasn't had much luck against Highland recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Crusaders will take on the Hawks in a holiday battle at 6:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Tuesday, Riverdale Baptist was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 81-75 to Evergreen Christian. While the Crusaders didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 18-14 in the first quarter.

Braylon Harrison

Field Goal Percentage

12/16/25 @ Evergreen Christian	67%
12/13/25 @ Salesianum	60%
12/11/25 @ Virginia Academy	50%
12/09/25 vs Springdale Prep	67%
12/06/25 vs Eleanor Roosevelt	50%
+ 3 more games

Despite their defeat, Riverdale Baptist saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Braylon Harrison, who went 6-for-9 to rack up 17 points and six rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Harrison has also also been stellar as far as field goal percentage is concerned: he's posted one of at least 50% every time he's hit the court this season. Another player making a difference was Derrick 'DJ' Robinson, who shot 58% from the field en route to 16 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Highland strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came out on top against Evergreen Christian by a score of 73-61. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while the Eagles are ranked 46th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Highland's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Riverdale Baptist, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.

Riverdale Baptist lost to Highland on the road by a decisive 60-45 margin when the teams last played back in January. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.