Basketball Game Preview: Independence Patriots vs. Ambassador Christian School Lions

The Independence Patriots will face off against the Ambassador Christian School Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Independence is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 62.9 points per game this season.

Independence is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Butler just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 56-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bulldogs. The contest marked the Patriots' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Despite the loss, Independence saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Lusemo Macharia dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan McFarland, who posted seven points.

Even though they lost, Independence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Christian School came tearing into Saturday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Mustangs to the tune of 75-31. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 22 points or more this season.

Ambassador Christian School's win came from a few key players Independence will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was JD Bowden, who went 6 for 10 on his way to 16 points. Dylan Deluca was another key player, putting up ten points along with seven boards and three blocks.

Ambassador Christian School has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.2 points per game. As for Independence, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 14-3.