Basketball Game Preview: Gilbert Christian Knights vs. Benjamin Franklin Chargers

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Previous Games

01/07/25 - Away	48-29 W
01/23/24 - Home	63-51 W
12/11/23 - Away	82-50 W
01/24/23 - Away	66-45 W
12/12/22 - Home	53-47 W
+ 4 more games

Gilbert Christian is 8-1 against Benjamin Franklin since January of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Gilbert Christian Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Benjamin Franklin Chargers at 7:00 p.m.

Gilbert Christian is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Valley Christian just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Saturday. They came up short against the Trojans, falling 76-52. While losing is never fun, the Knights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 68th, while the Trojans are ranked 15th).

Meanwhile, Benjamin Franklin had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.2 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 71-46 margin over the Golden Eagles. The Chargers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 22 points or more this season.

Gilbert Christian better focus on containing Landon Christensen and Talan Speir as the pair were huge in Benjamin Franklin's win. Christensen went 5 of 11 en route to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals, while Speir went 5 for 8 on his way to 14 points along with seven assists and seven boards. That's the most assists Speir has posted since back in November of 2024. Nate Lot was another key player, putting up nine points.

Benjamin Franklin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.

Benjamin Franklin pushed their record up to 21-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.9 points per game. As for Gilbert Christian, their loss ended a 12-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 13-7.

Gilbert Christian strolled past Benjamin Franklin in their previous matchup on January 7th by a score of 48-29. Will Gilbert Christian repeat their success, or does Benjamin Franklin have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.