Basketball Game Preview: Eastern Mennonite Flames vs. North Cross Raiders

The Eastern Mennonite Flames will take on the North Cross Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Eastern Mennonite will be strutting in after a win while North Cross will be coming in after a loss.

Having struggled with nine defeats in a row, Eastern Mennonite turned things around against The Covenant on Tuesday. They secured a 49-45 W over the Eagles.

Meanwhile, North Cross suffered their biggest loss since February 27, 2024 on Tuesday. They lost 93-73 to Blue Ridge. The defeat continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Barons: they've now lost seven in a row.

Eastern Mennonite will need focus on slowing down Antonio Mack, one of several North Cross players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc on his way to 33 points and three steals. Mack's evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jesiah Hines, who went 8 of 15 on his way to 24 points.

North Cross' loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 9-3. As for Eastern Mennonite, their victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-9.

Everything came up roses for Eastern Mennonite against North Cross in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 69-38 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Eastern Mennonite since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.