Norfolk Christian has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Steward Spartans at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Norfolk Christian blew past Walsingham Academy, posting a 66-26 victory at home. Given Norfolk Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Walsingham Academy is ranked 257th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Abuna Ruop and Justice Brown-jones were among the main playmakers for Norfolk Christian as the former dropped a double-double on 18 points and 16 rebounds and the latter scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Ruop has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last 13 times she's played. Jazlyn Hubbard was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Steward entered their tilt with Norfolk Academy with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. Steward simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Norfolk Academy 83-42 on the road. 83 seems to be a good number for Steward as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
Steward found their leader in underclassman Sanai Green, who scored 24 points along with six rebounds. Green is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 16 or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hali Harris, who scored ten points along with five steals and two blocks.
Norfolk Christian pushed their record up to 20-6 with that win, which was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 39.5 points. As for Steward, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 contests, which provided a massive bump to their 13-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Norfolk Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Steward struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Norfolk Christian couldn't quite finish off Steward in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 and fell 49-47. Can Norfolk Christian 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
