Basketball Game Preview: Crane Cranes vs. Midland Classical Academy Knights

The Crane Cranes will face off against the Midland Classical Academy Knights at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Crane is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Coahoma just ended the team's three-game winning streak last Friday. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Bulldogs an easy 42-18 victory. The matchup marked the Cranes' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Midland Classical Academy had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.1 points) and they went ahead and made it nine last Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 60-8 win over the Warriors. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 26 points or more this season.

Crane better keep an eye on Addie Dunn. She was instrumental in Midland Classical Academy's win, going 9 of 20 en route to 19 points along with seven boards and seven steals. The contest was Dunn's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleigh Sherrill, who posted nine points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.

Midland Classical Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Midland Classical Academy's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 36.8 points. As for Crane, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.

Crane came up short against Midland Classical Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 54-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Dunn, who went 8 of 14 on her way to 20 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals. Now that Crane knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.