Basketball Game Preview: Gaston Christian Eagles vs. Concord Academy Eagles

Gaston Christian hasn't had much luck against Concord Academy recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Gaston Christian Eagles will challenge the Concord Academy Eagles at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Gaston Christian will bounce into Friday's match after beating Gaston Day, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Gaston Christian breezed by Gaston Day to the tune of 59-19 on Monday. The Eagles pushed the score to 54-12 by the end of the third, a deficit the Spartans cut but never quite recovered from.

Emily Haux

Steals

01/13/25 vs Gaston Day	5
01/09/25 @ Westminster Catawba Christian	5
01/07/25 vs Concord Academy	4
12/13/24 @ Asheville School (Independent)	2
12/10/24 @ Hickory Grove Christian	3

Emily Haux was her usual excellent self, going 8 for 14 on her way to 20 points in addition to six rebounds and five steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Happy Arune, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten boards.

Gaston Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 34 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Concord Academy came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Lions 72-2. With the Eagles ahead 46-1 at the half, the match was all but over already.

Concord Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 16 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. As for Gaston Christian, their record is now 9-4.

Gaston Christian came up short against Concord Academy in their previous matchup last Tuesday, falling 57-50. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Concord Academy's Justice Alexander, who went 11 of 24 on her way to 31 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Now that Gaston Christian knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.