A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Wildcats take on the Lions at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Asheville Christian Academy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Carolina Day, who comes in off a win.
Carolina Day is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Hickory Christian Academy 73-34. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won four in a row.
Keana Smith
| 02/07/25 vs Hickory Christian Academy | 5 |
| 11/13/24 vs Shining Rock Classical Academy | 4 |
| 01/30/25 vs Oakbrook Prep | 3 |
| 01/23/25 @ Lake Lure Classical Academy | 2 |
| 01/08/25 vs Pinnacle Classical Academy | 2 |
Carolina Day's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Keana Smith, who dropped a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Smith a new career-high in assists (five). Another player making a difference was Layla Hunter, who dropped a double-double with 18 points and ten boards.
Meanwhile, Asheville Christian Academy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 43-38 to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 203rd in North Carolina, while the Eagles are ranked 63rd in Georgia).
Carolina Day will have to contain Sara Larios as she made an impact in Asheville Christian Academy's last game. She posted 18 points. That was a full 47.4% of Asheville Christian Academy's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Laura Rinehart, who had six points and five rebounds.
Carolina Day's victory bumped their record up to 16-7. As for Asheville Christian Academy, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Carolina Day has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 44.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Asheville Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Carolina Day suffered a grim 71-47 defeat to Asheville Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in January. Can Carolina Day avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
