Preview: Johnson County Sports Association Lions vs. Nazarene Christian Academy Lions
The Johnson County Sports Association Lions are on the road again on Thursday and play against the Nazarene Christian Academy Lions at 7:30 p.m. on December 28th. Hopefully Johnson County Sports Association focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 30 on Monday.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 83-19, which was the final score in Johnson County Sports Association's tilt against Ovilla Christian. Johnson County Sports Association was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 48-15.
Despite the loss, Johnson County Sports Association saw an underclassman step up: Gage Bradley scored eight points along with nine rebounds. Bradley continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Calaway, who scored four points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Nazarene Christian Academy came up short against Lucas Christian Academy on Tuesday and fell 59-50. It was the first time this season that Nazarene Christian Academy let down their fans at home.
Despite their defeat, Nazarene Christian Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Marcus Jones, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Jones is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. Aiden Carr was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five assists.
Johnson County Sports Association's loss dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Nazarene Christian Academy, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 12-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Johnson County Sports Association have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Nazarene Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 28.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Johnson County Sports Association might still be hurting after the 65-44 loss they got from Nazarene Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in February of 2015. Thankfully for Johnson County Sports Association, Elijah Byrd (who dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
