Basketball Game Preview: Sunshine Bible Academy Crusaders vs. James Valley Christian Vikings

Sunshine Bible Academy is 2-8 against James Valley Christian since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Sunshine Bible Academy Crusaders will take on the James Valley Christian Vikings in a tournament on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Sunshine Bible Academy is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Monday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 50-20 to Iroquois/Lake Preston, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Sunshine Bible Academy's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ciera Mickelson, who posted two points along with five boards and three steals, and Soliel Mickelson, who put up three points and three steals. Ciera has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times she's played.

Even though they lost, Sunshine Bible Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in ten consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, James Valley Christian was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss. They were dealt a 55-22 defeat at the hands of Wolsey-Wessington.

James Valley Christian's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Sunshine Bible Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.

Sunshine Bible Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over James Valley Christian in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 35-25. Will Sunshine Bible Academy repeat their success, or does James Valley Christian have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.