Basketball Game Preview: Providence Christian Eagles vs. Houston Academy Raiders

The Providence Christian Eagles just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Houston Academy Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Providence Christian will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Geneva County, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Providence Christian greeted the New Year with with a 63-45 win over Geneva County. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 130th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 303rd), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

While Houston Academy didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 34-22 victory over Bayside Academy two weeks ago.

Providence Christian better keep an eye on Mary Helen Mendheim. She was instrumental in Houston Academy's win, dropping a double-double on 18 points and ten boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Aurie Hewes, who posted three points.

Houston Academy is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.5 points per game. As for Providence Christian, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-6.

Providence Christian strolled past Houston Academy in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 45-28. The rematch might be a little tougher for Providence Christian since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.