Lafayette Christian has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Central Christian Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lafayette Christian will be strutting in after a victory while Central Christian will be coming in after a defeat.
With a playoff game on the line, Lafayette Christian rose to the challenge on Monday. They walked away with a 45-36 win over the LIONS.
It was another big night for Carmen Bridges, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 15 rebounds. That makes it seven consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Lafayette Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Reagan Bryant, who scored 12 points along with three blocks.
Meanwhile, Central Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last Tuesday as they fell 41-35 to North Georgia Christian Academy.
Despite their loss, Central Christian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Riley Clark, who scored 12 points along with six steals and four blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Clark has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Sarah Passow, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.
Lafayette Christian's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-5. As for Central Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 8-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Lafayette Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Central Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lafayette Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Central Christian when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 49-44 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lafayette Christian since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
