Having just played yesterday, the Jacksonville Christian Academy Conquerors will head out on the road to face off against the Pamlico Christian Academy Mariners at 7:00 p.m. on February 6th. Jacksonville Christian Academy is no doubt hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses.
Jacksonville Christian Academy pushed their score all the way to 61 on Monday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a hard 80-61 fall against Southside Christian. Jacksonville Christian Academy found out winning isn't easy when you're outrebounded 19 to 6 on offense.
The losing side was boosted by Brady Rice, who scored 23 points along with five rebounds and three steals. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kellen Evans, who scored eight points along with nine assists and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Jacksonville Christian Academy were working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Pamlico Christian Academy entered their tilt with the Patriots with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Pamlico Christian Academy secured a 48-42 W over the Patriots on Friday.
Pamlico Christian Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was James Howard, who scored 24 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Howard is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last nine games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Zac Whitley, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds.
Jacksonville Christian Academy has not been sharp recently as the team's lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season. As for Pamlico Christian Academy, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a massive bump to their 18-9 record this season.
Tuesday's contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Jacksonville Christian Academy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pamlico Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Jacksonville Christian Academy came up short against the Mariners in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 59-55. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Howard, who scored 23 points along with three steals. Now that Jacksonville Christian Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
