Ahoskie Christian will take on the Terra Ceia Christian Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ahoskie Christian will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up 25 points on Monday, then bounced right back against Bethel Assembly Christian Academy on Tuesday. Ahoskie Christian took down Bethel Assembly Christian Academy 57-41.
Ahoskie Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lilly Lassiter, who posted 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Kaylee Jones was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 13 boards.
Ahoskie Christian 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 six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Terra Ceia Christian over Heritage Christian Academy in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Terra Ceia Christian enjoyed a cozy 40-23 victory over Heritage Christian Academy. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Knights.
Ahoskie Christian better focus on containing Lakin Van Essendelft and Hannah VanEssendelft as the pair were huge in Terra Ceia Christian's win. Van Essendelft went 7 for 15 on her way to 17 points and eight steals, while VanEssendelft earned six points and seven steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Van Essendelft has scored at least a third of Terra Ceia Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Harley James, who scored six points.
Terra Ceia Christian is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.0 points per game. As for Ahoskie Christian, they pushed their record up to 9-12 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ahoskie Christian has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 30.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Terra Ceia Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Ahoskie Christian came up short against Terra Ceia Christian in their previous meeting back in January, falling 29-25. Can Ahoskie Christian avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
