After two games on the road, Delaware County Christian is heading back home. They and the Jenkintown Drakes will face off at 5:30 p.m. on February 5th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Delaware County Christian has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 506 points over their last seven contests.
Delaware County Christian pushed their score all the way to 65 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 74-65 to Episcopal Academy. While losing is never fun, Delaware County Christian can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 175th, while the Churchmen are ranked 32nd).
Delaware County Christian's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Beau Lyren, who scored 19 points, and Khamai Orange who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Bradford Berwick was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Delaware County Christian struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
After soaring to a 52-point victory in their last game, Jenkintown came back down to earth on Friday. They fell just short of Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy by a score of 54-52. Jenkintown has struggled against the Falcons recently, as their game on Friday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their loss, Jenkintown saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Desmond Trail, who scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Trail has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Matty Ecker, who scored ten points along with five assists.
Delaware County Christian's loss ended a eight-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-6. As for Jenkintown, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-7.
Monday's contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Delaware County Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Jenkintown struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Delaware County Christian beat the Drakes 50-43 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Does Delaware County Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Drakes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
