Two dominant players in Jakeem Bradford and Luke Boush are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Liberty Christian Patriots will be playing at home against the Southside Christian Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Liberty Christian has three straight victories, Southside Christian has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Even though Cristo Rey Research Triangle scored an imposing 58 points on Tuesday, Liberty Christian still came out on top. Liberty Christian secured a 62-58 W over Cristo Rey Research Triangle. Given Liberty Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 259th, while Cristo Rey Research Triangle is ranked 593rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Liberty Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ian Sterrett, who scored 21 points along with three steals. Sterrett is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last four games he's played. Nate Young was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Southside Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 55-50 to Wilmington Christian Academy.
Southside Christian's defeat came about despite a quality game from Boush, who scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. That was a full 48% of Southside Christian's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Ethan Evans, who scored 13 points along with three blocks.
Liberty Christian pushed their record up to 12-4 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points per game. As for Southside Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Liberty Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Southside Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Liberty Christian took their victory against Southside Christian when the teams last played on Thursday by a conclusive 75-54. Does Liberty Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Southside Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
