Basketball Game Preview: University Christian Barracudas vs. Statesville Christian Lions

University Christian and Statesville Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the University Christian Barracudas will get right back to it and host the Statesville Christian Lions at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

University Christian is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 57 points on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Caldwell Academy on Thursday. They were beaten by the Eagles 66-23. The matchup marked the Barracudas' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Statesville Christian). They were the clear victor by a 45-21 margin over Salem Baptist Christian on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lions.

University Christian better keep an eye on Ava Hughes. She was instrumental in Statesville Christian's win, dropping a double-double on 21 points and ten boards. Those 21 points gave Hughes a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Addison Layne, who posted five points and eight rebounds.

Statesville Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Statesville Christian's win bumped their record up to 11-5. As for University Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 8-4.

University Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Statesville Christian in their previous meeting back in January, winning 39-29. Will University Christian repeat their success, or does Statesville Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.