Unity Christian and Morning Star Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2022, but not for long. The Unity Christian Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Morning Star Academy Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Unity Christian is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Pathway Christian: they outscored them in every quarter. Unity Christian enjoyed a cozy 39-20 win over Pathway Christian back in December of 2024. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 318th in Illinois, while the Panthers are ranked 662nd in Iowa), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/19/24 @ Pathway Christian | 3 |
| 12/10/24 vs Quad Cities Christian | 4 |
| 12/09/24 @ Tri-State Christian | 8 |
| 12/05/24 vs Faith Christian | 5 |
| 12/03/24 vs Galesburg Christian | 6 |
Unity Christian relied on the efforts of Emily Merema, who went 8 of 18 on her way to 17 points along with eight boards and three steals, and Julia Van Kampen, who went 6 of 13 en route to 14 points and three steals. Merema has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Abi Middendorp, who posted two points and nine rebounds.
Unity Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Morning Star Academy didn't have too much trouble with Pathway Christian on Tuesday as they won 35-17.
Morning Star Academy's win came from a few key players Unity Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Annabella VonMuenster, who had nine points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Violet Jewell, who posted five points and 12 boards.
Morning Star Academy is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 20.3 points per game. As for Unity Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Unity Christian has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Morning Star Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Unity Christian came up short against Morning Star Academy when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 30-24. Will Unity Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
