Lockland is 0-9-1 against Miami Valley Christian Academy since January of 2019 but things could change on Saturday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Lockland Panthers challenge the Miami Valley Christian Academy Lions at 1:00 p.m.
Lockland is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Seven Hills on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Lockland was beaten by Seven Hills 52-21. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 30-10.
| 01/29/25 vs Seven Hills | 9 |
| 01/27/25 @ Clark Montessori | 10 |
| 01/25/25 @ North College Hill | 18 |
| 01/20/25 @ Northwest | 17 |
| 01/18/25 @ St. Bernard-Elmwood Place | 18 |
Lockland's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jaylah Smith, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards. Smith has been hot for a while, having posted nine or more rebounds the last 16 times she's played. Princes Webster was another key player, putting up five points and six steals.
Even though they lost, Lockland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 18 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Miami Valley Christian Academy waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Trojans as they made off with a 53-28 victory. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 21 points or more this season.
Lockland better keep an eye on Lucy Rosen. She was instrumental in Miami Valley Christian Academy's win, almost dropping a double-double on 26 points and nine steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which Rosen has scored at least a third of Miami Valley Christian Academy's points. Another player making a difference was Hailey Farmer, who posted 13 points in addition to eight boards and seven steals.
Miami Valley Christian Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. As for Lockland, their loss dropped their record down to 8-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lockland has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 38.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Miami Valley Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lockland suffered a grim 55-34 defeat to Miami Valley Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rosen, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 boards. Now that Lockland knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
