Clarksville Christian has won five straight games at home, while Franklin Road Christian has won five straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Clarksville Christian Centurions will welcome the Franklin Road Christian Minutemen at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clarksville Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Franklin Classical School 88-27 on Tuesday. Given the Centurions' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 70th, while the Knights are ranked 331st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Niah Rhodes
| 02/11/25 vs Franklin Classical School | 23 |
| 02/08/25 vs Christian Community | 15 |
| 02/06/25 vs Highland Rim Academy | 0 |
| 01/31/25 @ Bradley Central | 14 |
| 01/26/25 vs 1 of 1 Academy | 8 |
| + 16 more games |
Clarksville Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Niah Rhodes led the charge by as she made all 11 shots she took for 23 points and five steals. With that strong performance, Rhodes is now averaging an impressive 15.1 points per game. Lauren Hassell was another key player, going 8 for 11 on her way to 18 points along with seven assists and five boards.
Clarksville Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 29 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Franklin Road Christian made easy work of Highland Rim Academy on Tuesday and carried off a 52-31 win.
Clarksville Christian better focus on containing Lakelyn Dempsey and Anora Golden as the pair were huge in Franklin Road Christian's win. Dempsey went 10 of 17 to rack up 24 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists, while Golden dropped a double-double with 12 points and ten steals. Golden is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 15 games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryleigh Dempsey, who posted five points.
Franklin Road Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 28-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points over those games. As for Clarksville Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 16-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Clarksville Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Franklin Road Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Clarksville Christian against Franklin Road Christian when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the squad secured a 74-34 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Franklin Road Christian's Gracie Tidwell, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 12 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Clarksville Christian still be able to contain Tidwell? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
