The Elliot Christian Eagles will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Venture Academy Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Elliot Christian has not done well against Millennium recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Elliot Christian had just enough and edged Millennium out 47-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Elliot Christian has posted yet this season.
Bella Perry continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 24 points along with nine rebounds and five assists. That makes it five consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Elliot Christian's points. Jessica Williams was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Venture Academy came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Stone Ridge Christian by a score of 48-37.
Venture Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jz Lawrence led the charge by dropping a double-double on 19 points and 12 steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Lawrence has scored at least a third of Venture Academy's points. Another player making a difference was Kimora Crawford, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Elliot Christian's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. As for Venture Academy, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Elliot Christian haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 7.8 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Venture Academy, though, as they've been averaging 29.8 turnovers per game. Given Elliot Christian's sizeable advantage in that area, Venture Academy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Elliot Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Venture Academy in their previous meeting on January 9th, sneaking past 51-49. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lawrence, who dropped a triple-double on 21 points, ten rebounds, and 12 steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Elliot Christian still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
