Evangel Christian is 9-1 against the Knights since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Evangel Christian Lightning will stay at home for another game and welcome the Ezekiel Academy Knights at 7:00 p.m. on February 1st. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Evangel Christian put the finishing touches on their 15th blowout victory of the season on Monday. They really took it to East Central HomeSchool for the full four quarters, racking up a 74-37 win at home. Given Evangel Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 75th, while the Patriots are ranked 239th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Evangel Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jonathan Gill, who scored 16 points. It was the first time this season that Gill scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Owen Bugnar, who scored 15 points.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought game, but Ezekiel Academy had to settle for a 67-64 loss against the MUSTANGS on Monday. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Ezekiel Academy in their matchups with the MUSTANGS: they've now lost three in a row.
Evangel Christian's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-3. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 30.3 points. As for Ezekiel Academy, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-17 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Evangel Christian against the Knights in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 78-28 win. With Evangel Christian ahead 40-17 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
