The First Baptist Crusaders will head out on the road to challenge the Lake Region Christian Hornets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
First Baptist took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Woodcrest Baptist Academy 52-30. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Crusaders had established a 21 point advantage.
| 12/10/24 vs Woodcrest Baptist Academy | 18 |
| 12/09/24 @ Rochester Area HomeSchool | 19 |
| 12/03/24 @ Chisago Lakes Baptist | 16 |
| 12/02/24 vs St. Cloud Christian | 21 |
First Baptist's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Keira Wynja, who went 5 for 12 on her way to 13 points and five steals, and Lydia Wynja, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. Lydia's evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Maya McKinney, who posted ten points.
Meanwhile, Lake Region Christian can finally bid farewell to their 19-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Tuesday. They came out on top against St. Cloud Christian by a score of 46-38. The Hornets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Lake Region Christian's win came from a few key players First Baptist will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tamara DeVries, who put up six points and 18 rebounds. Those 18 rebounds gave her a new career-high. Aleah DeVries was another key player, putting up 11 points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Lake Region Christian's win ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-3. As for First Baptist, their record is now 4-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: First Baptist has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 40.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Lake Region Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for First Baptist against Lake Region Christian in their previous matchup back in February, as the team secured a 62-30 victory. In that match, First Baptist amassed a halftime lead of 35-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
