Preview: Lakeland Christian Vikings vs. Bell Creek Academy Panthers
Lakeland Christian is 1-6 against Bell Creek Academy since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Lakeland Christian Vikings will be playing at home against the Bell Creek Academy Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Lakeland Christian is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
Lakeland Christian has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 21 points or more this season. Everything went their way against Ridgeview Global Studies Academy on Friday as Lakeland Christian made off with a 56-35 win. Given Lakeland Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 161st, while Ridgeview Global Studies Academy is ranked 518th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Eleni Katzaras continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 26 points. Another player making a difference was Sarah Bennett, who scored 12 points along with 8 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bell Creek Academy didn't have too much trouble with Four Corners at home on Friday as they won 52-36. The victory was just what Bell Creek Academy needed coming off of a 63-23 defeat in their prior game.
Bell Creek Academy found their leader in underclassman Kendal Curtis, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which Curtis has scored at least 25% of Bell Creek Academy's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aliah Newsome, who scored 20 points.
Lakeland Christian's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Bell Creek Academy, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's matchup: Lakeland Christian have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 6.2 threes per game. It's a different story for Bell Creek Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 per game. Given Lakeland Christian's sizeable advantage in that area, Bell Creek Academy will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
Lakeland Christian was dealt a bruising 58-20 defeat at the hands of Bell Creek Academy when the teams last played back in January. Will Lakeland Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
