Basketball Preview: Gilbert Christian Knights vs. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions
The Gilbert Christian Knights will face off against the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is hoping to do what Seton Catholic couldn't on Tuesday: put an end to Gilbert Christian's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Gilbert Christian walked away with a 57-50 win over Seton Catholic.
Gilbert Christian's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Owen Fermoyle, who went 5 for 12 en route to 14 points plus eight rebounds and four steals. Fermoyle is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Jace Olson, who scored 20 points plus seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Pusch Ridge Christian Academy faced off against Amphitheater on Wednesday. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy came out on top against Amphitheater by a score of 60-52. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lions.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Santino Almazan, who went 5 for 10 en route to 21 points, and Noah McKinney, who scored 20 points plus seven rebounds. McKinney's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Ben Lambe was another key player, earning seven points in addition to 16 rebounds.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Gilbert Christian, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's matchup: Gilbert Christian has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 10.3 threes per game. It's a different story for Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3. Given Gilbert Christian's sizable advantage in that area, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Gilbert Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in January, winning 71-64. Will Gilbert Christian repeat their success, or does Pusch Ridge Christian Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
