The Riverdale Baptist Crusaders will head out to take on the Virginia Academy Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Riverdale Baptist's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.
On Tuesday, Riverdale Baptist came up short against Springdale Prep and fell 77-68.

Dez Ainsworth
| 12/09/25 vs Springdale Prep | 19 |
| 12/06/25 vs Eleanor Roosevelt | 19 |
| 12/04/25 @ Clinton Grace Christian | 16 |
Riverdale Baptist might have lost, but man, Dez Ainsworth was a machine: he went 7-for-14 to rack up 19 points along with five boards and four steals. Ainsworth's big performance that evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Derrick 'DJ' Robinson, who posted 15 points and four steals.
Meanwhile, Virginia Academy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 71-67 to Evergreen Christian. The Patriots haven't had much luck with the Eagles recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Riverdale Baptist will have to contain Mike Smith as he made an impact in Virginia Academy's last game. He scored 20 points. Smith continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Tal Rose was another key player, putting up ten points.
Virginia Academy's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Riverdale Baptist, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
Riverdale Baptist skirted past Virginia Academy 59-57 when the teams last played back in January. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Crusaders since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps