Needles is 8-2 against Awaken Christian since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Needles Mustangs will head out on the road to face off against the Awaken Christian Lions at 6:30 p.m. Needles will be coming into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
Needles has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 27 points or more this season. They claimed a resounding 76-19 victory over Founders Classical Academy on the road. Given Needles' advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 12th in California, while Founders Classical Academy is ranked 81st in Nevada), the result on Saturday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Needles got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Collin Smith out in front who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 10 rebounds. Smith hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Walema, who dropped a triple-double on 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Meanwhile, Awaken Christian had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 40 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They walked away with a 64-54 victory over Laughlin.
Awaken Christian's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaylen Jordan, who scored 22 points along with 5 steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Jordan has scored at least 25% of Awaken Christian's points. Another player making a difference was Jadon Kenny, who scored 15 points along with 7 rebounds.
Their wins bumped Needles to 8-0 and Founders Classical Academy to 3-5.
Needles took their victory against Awaken Christian when the teams last played back in January by a conclusive 71-51. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Awaken Christian's Doug Boyer, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 10 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Needles to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
