Preview: Valley Christian Lions vs. Faith Christian Lions
Valley Christian has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Faith Christian Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Valley Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past four matches -- so hopefully Faith Christian likes a good challenge.
Valley Christian put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 74-9 victory over Cristo Rey. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Valley Christian has managed all season.
Valley Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Matthew Larson, who scored nine points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Ian Glaspy, who scored seven points along with nine assists and seven rebounds.
Faith Christian posted their biggest victory yet this season on Thursday. Everything went their way against Buckingham Charter as Faith Christian made off with a 49-29 victory. The win was just what Faith Christian needed coming off of a 75-25 loss in their prior game.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Faith Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cedric Smith, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Smith is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Alec Oakley was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with 13 rebounds and three steals.
Valley Christian's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-8. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 86.0 points per game. As for Faith Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 3-10 record this season.
Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Chase Clary and Smith. Clary has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 19.2 points, 2.1 steals, and 5.1 rebounds. For his part, Smith has averaged 16.8 points, 5 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
Everything came up roses for Valley Christian against Faith Christian when the teams last played back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 91-50 victory. Will Valley Christian repeat their success, or does Faith Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
