Basketball Preview: Heartland Christian Saints vs. Laurel Panthers
The Heartland Christian Saints are on the road again on Friday and plays the Laurel Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on February 2nd.
After soaring to a 28-point win in their last game, Heartland Christian came back down to earth on Thursday. They fell just short of Suburban Christian by a score of 43-41.
Despite their defeat, Heartland Christian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Landon Clemens, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Clemens hasn't dropped below 15 points for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeremiah Penticuff, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds.
In what's become a running theme this season, Laurel gave their fans yet another huge victory on Saturday. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 62-32 win over Christian Academy of Madison. Laurel pushed the score to 48-25 by the end of the third, a deficit the Defenders had little chance of recovering from.
Laurel found their leader in underclassman Brayden Gerrian, who scored 26 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gerrian has scored all season. Dominic James was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Heartland Christian's defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7. As for Laurel, they pushed their record up to 11-5 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Heartland Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Laurel, though, as they've been averaging only 7.2 rebounds per game. Given Heartland Christian's sizable advantage in that area, the Panthers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything went Heartland Christian's way against the Panthers when the teams last played back in December of 2022 as the Saints made off with a 77-57 victory. Will Heartland Christian repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
