Southside Christian has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Liberty Christian Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. That game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Luke Boush and Jakeem Bradford.
Last Tuesday, Southside Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 55-50 to Wilmington Christian Academy.
The losing side was boosted by Boush, who scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. That was a full 48% of Southside Christian's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Ethan Evans, who scored 13 points along with three blocks.
Meanwhile, Liberty Christian waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They snuck past Cristo Rey Research Triangle with a 62-58 win. Given Liberty Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 259th, while Cristo Rey Research Triangle is ranked 593rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Liberty Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ian Sterrett led the charge by scoring 21 points along with three steals. Sterrett has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nate Young, who scored 14 points along with nine rebounds and three steals.
Southside Christian's defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Liberty Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Southside Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Liberty Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Southside Christian suffered a grim 75-54 defeat to Liberty Christian in their previous meeting on Thursday. Can Southside Christian avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
