Basketball Game Preview: Salem Academy Crusaders vs. Western Christian Pioneers

The Salem Academy Crusaders will take on the Western Christian Pioneers at 5:45 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Salem Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Chemawa Indian 71-23 on Friday. The win was familiar territory for the Crusaders who have now won four matchups in a row.

Meanwhile, Western Christian came tearing into Friday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Wolverines, posting a 46-17 victory. Given the Pioneers' advantage in MaxPreps' Oregon basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Wolverines are ranked 135th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Salem Academy's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.7 points per game. As for Western Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 12-2.

Salem Academy took a serious blow against Western Christian in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 68-37. Can Salem Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.