Two dominant players in Sam Marquardt and Shamar Coleman are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Grace Christian Academy Crusaders will head out on the road to challenge the Unity Christian Academy Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Grace Christian Academy has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Unity Christian Academy will arrive with four straight wins.
Last Tuesday, Grace Christian Academy came up short against Clifton Central and fell 61-51.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ethan Reynolds, who scored 18 points along with five steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Marquardt, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Meanwhile, Unity Christian Academy put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 70-50 margin over Mooseheart. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Unity Christian Academy has posted yet this season.
Unity Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Donovan O'Neil, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 assists. O'Neil has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Coleman, who scored 25 points along with two steals.
Grace Christian Academy's loss was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 2-12. As for Unity Christian Academy, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's game: Grace Christian Academy have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4.2 threes per game. It's a different story for Unity Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 4.9 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Grace Christian Academy suffered a grim 59-37 defeat to Unity Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. Thankfully for Grace Christian Academy, Caleb Easley (who scored 20 points along with three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
