Two dominant players in Jayce Maiden and Remi Schieber are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Heartland Mustangs will head out on the road to face off against Plaza Heights Christian Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Heartland's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last seven contests.
Heartland has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 23 points or more this season. They put the hurt on Christian Learning Center with a sharp 72-47 victory on Tuesday. With Heartland ahead 43-22 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Heartland found their leader in underclassman Maiden, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. The match was Maiden's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Diego Martinez, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Meanwhile, Plaza Heights Christian Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their game against El Dorado Christian on Monday, but they still walked away with a 54-50 win. The victory was just what Plaza Heights Christian Academy needed coming off of a 79-47 loss in their prior match.
Plaza Heights Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Luke Jones led the charge by dropping a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds. Those 24 points set a new season-high mark for Jones. The team also got some help courtesy of Schieber, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Heartland's victory was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.8 points per game. As for Plaza Heights Christian Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 4-3 record this season.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Heartland have been dynamite from deep this season, having only drained 36.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Plaza Heights Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've drained 40.6% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Heartland didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Plaza Heights Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in February, but they still walked away with a 56-51 win. Does Heartland have another victory up their sleeve, or will Plaza Heights Christian Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
