Lanier Christian Academy and Fideles Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2022, but not for long. The Lanier Christian Academy Lightning will challenge the Fideles Christian Rangers at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. Lanier Christian Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 15 matchups -- so hopefully Fideles Christian likes a good challenge.
Lanier Christian Academy is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Peachtree Academy: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lanier Christian Academy blew Peachtree Academy out of the water with a 92-36 final score. The Lightning have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 25 points or more this season.
| 01/09/25 @ Peachtree Academy | 5 |
| 11/19/24 vs Trinity Prep | 4 |
| 12/17/24 vs Cherokee Christian | 3 |
| 12/12/24 vs Scholars Guild Academy | 3 |
| 12/10/24 vs Fideles Christian | 3 |
Lanier Christian Academy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Gavin Sewell-Strabala out in front who went 6 of 10 on his way to 16 points and five steals. The dominant performance gave Sewell-Strabala a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Miles Tracy, who went 5 of 7 on his way to 12 points in addition to six boards and three steals.
Lanier Christian Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Peachtree Academy only racked up eight assists.
Meanwhile, Fideles Christian had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 64-38 win. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Rangers just coasted through the last quarter.
Fideles Christian's win came from a few key players Lanier Christian Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Xander Lipinski, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 19 points and six rebounds. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson Blackstock, who went 7 of 8 on his way to 16 points.
Fideles Christian's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-12. As for Lanier Christian Academy, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lanier Christian Academy has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fideles Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lanier Christian Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Fideles Christian in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 73-64. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lanier Christian Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
