The Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy Ospreys will take on the New Covenant Gryphons at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Faith Christian Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy blew Faith Christian Academy out of the water with a 76-10 final score. Fans of the Ospreys have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Isaiah Keep led the charge by posting 12 points in addition to six rebounds and two steals. Keep is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Carter Garland, who went 5 for 6 en route to 12 points.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, New Covenant beat Brunswick Academy 41-33 last Friday.
New Covenant's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rusty Hooks, who earned eight points along with six rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Hooks a new career-high in threes (two). Cole Murdock was another key player, scoring 14 points.
New Covenant's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy, they pushed their record up to 3-0 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like New Covenant struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.8. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy took a serious blow against New Covenant in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, falling 69-42. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy was down 35-15.
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