Basketball Game Preview: Asheville School (Independent) Blues vs. Asheville Christian Academy Lions

The Asheville School (Independent) Blues will challenge the Asheville Christian Academy Lions at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Asheville Christian Academy will be up against a hot Asheville School (Independent) squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Asheville School (Independent) blew past Carolina Day 73-31 on Tuesday. The Blues have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 contests by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Asheville Christian Academy won against SouthLake Christian Academy on Saturday with 55 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Tuesday. Asheville Christian Academy escaped with a win against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee by the margin of a single free throw, 55-54. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Lions' disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 243rd in North Carolina, while the Eagles are ranked 52nd in Georgia).

Asheville Christian Academy's win came from a few key players Asheville School (Independent) will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sara Larios, who went 6 for 15 on her way to 19 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Asheville Christian Academy's points. Another player making a difference was Lauren Bass, who went 7 of 15 en route to 22 points.

Asheville School (Independent) pushed their record up to 16-4 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 40.7 points. As for Asheville Christian Academy, they now have a winning record of 9-8.

Everything came up roses for Asheville School (Independent) against Asheville Christian Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 76-30 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Asheville School (Independent) since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.