Basketball Game Preview: Rocky Mount Academy Eagles vs. Liberty Christian Academy Heat

The Rocky Mount Academy Eagles and the Liberty Christian Academy Heat will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

On Tuesday, Rocky Mount Academy didn't have too much trouble with Lawrence Academy as they won 72-56. The Eagles pushed the score to 55-35 by the end of the third, a deficit the Warriors cut but never quite recovered from.

While Liberty Christian Academy didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They slipped by Southeastern Christian Academy 49-48 on Tuesday.

Liberty Christian Academy's win came from a few key players Rocky Mount Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Deon Whitner Jr, who went 5 for 12 on his way to 12 points in addition to six boards and five steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mark Bachmann, who went 6 of 11 on his way to 17 points.

Liberty Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Rocky Mount Academy pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.5 points per game. As for Liberty Christian Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.