Basketball Game Preview: Grace Christian Academy Crusaders vs. Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers

The Grace Christian Academy Crusaders will head out to square off against the Gardner-South Wilmington Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Grace Christian Academy has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Monday, Grace Christian Academy came up short against Grant Park and fell 50-37. The loss continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Dragons: they've now lost three in a row.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Zoey Baldridge, who posted 12 points and five assists. Miranda Glenn was another key player, putting up six points in addition to six boards and three blocks.

Baldridge wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Grace Christian Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Gardner-South Wilmington had to suffer through a 50-20 loss at the hands of Dwight. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 651st, while the Trojans are ranked 310th).

Gardner-South Wilmington has traveled a rocky road recently having lost 11 of their last 12 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-21 record this season. As for Grace Christian Academy, their record is now 4-17.

Grace Christian Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Gardner-South Wilmington in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 47-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Grace Christian Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.