Basketball Game Preview: Skyline - Gila River vs. Tri-City Christian Academy Warriors

Skyline - Gila River will face off against the Tri-City Christian Academy Warriors at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Tri-City Christian Academy will be up against a hot Skyline - Gila River squad: the team just extended their winning streak to 12. Skyline - Gila River breezed by Mission Heights Prep to the tune of 49-16 on Thursday. Given Skyline - Gila River's advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 22nd, while Mission Heights Prep is ranked 214th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Tri-City Christian Academy got the win against Berean Academy on Friday by a conclusive 45-20. With the Warriors ahead 28-8 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Tri-City Christian Academy's win came from a few key players Skyline - Gila River will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kristana Lulgjuraj, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ally Phillips, who posted six points in addition to nine steals and eight boards.

Tri-City Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Skyline - Gila River's win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 16.0 points per game. As for Tri-City Christian Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season.

Skyline - Gila River couldn't quite finish off Tri-City Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 and fell 39-36. Can Skyline - Gila River avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.