Basketball Game Preview: Lutheran Northwest Crusaders vs. Avondale Yellowjackets

The Lutheran Northwest Crusaders are taking a road trip to face off against the Avondale Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Lutheran Northwest is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Everest Collegiate just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 50-32 bruising from Everest Collegiate.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Avondale over Lamphere in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Avondale blew Lamphere out of the water with a 67-19 final score. Given the Yellowjackets' advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 98th in Michigan, while the Rams are ranked 553rd in Michigan), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Avondale's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-4. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.3 points over those games. As for Lutheran Northwest, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-6.

Lutheran Northwest took their victory against Avondale in their previous matchup back in December of 2021 by a conclusive 59-37. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lutheran Northwest since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.