Basketball Game Preview: Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots vs. Hilltop Christian Chargers

Wilmington Christian Academy is 2-8 against Hilltop Christian since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Wilmington Christian Academy Patriots will challenge the Hilltop Christian Chargers at 7:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Hilltop Christian will be up against a hot Wilmington Christian Academy team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went Wilmington Christian Academy's way against Wake Christian Academy on Tuesday as Wilmington Christian Academy made off with a 67-45 win.

Wilmington Christian Academy found their leader in freshman Trent Davies, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 28 points. Davies is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games he's played. Maddox Batts was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hilltop Christian entered their tilt with Greenville Christian Academy on Thursday with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They were the clear victor by a 72-51 margin over the Knights. The Chargers pushed the score to 56-34 by the end of the third, a deficit the Knights cut but never quite recovered from.

Wilmington Christian Academy better keep an eye on Caleb Manriquez. He was instrumental in Hilltop Christian's win, almost dropping a double-double on 30 points and nine boards. That's the most points Manriquez has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Joseph McCabe, who made all 6 shots he took for 14 points.

Hilltop Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. As for Wilmington Christian Academy, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-8.

Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Wilmington Christian Academy has been crazy accurate this season, having drained 49.5% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like Hilltop Christian struggles in that department as they've nailed 48.4% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Wilmington Christian Academy was taken down by Hilltop Christian 73-41 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Wilmington Christian Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.