Basketball Game Preview: Community Christian vs. First Baptist Crusaders

Community Christian will face off against the First Baptist Crusaders at 5:15 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Community Christian comes in on five and First Baptist on three.

Back in January, Community Christian made easy work of Lake Region Christian and carried off a 52-31 win. Community Christian's offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led First Baptist over Fourth Baptist Christian in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that First Baptist blew Fourth Baptist Christian out of the water with a 48-12 final score. The Crusaders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matches by 21 points or more this season.

Community Christian better keep an eye on Lydia Wynja. She was instrumental in First Baptist's win, dropping a double-double with 21 points and 17 boards. That makes it 13 consecutive games in which Wynja has scored at least a third of First Baptist's points. Another player making a difference was Maddie Nelson, who posted six points and three blocks.

First Baptist smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds every time they've taken the court this season.

First Baptist's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 15.3 points over those games. As for Community Christian, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.

Community Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over First Baptist when the teams last played back in November of 2024, winning 35-26. Does Community Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will First Baptist turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.