The Statesville Christian Lions will take on the North Hills Christian Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Statesville Christian's defense has only allowed 29 points per game this season, so North Hills Christian's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Statesville Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They put the hurt on Hickory Christian Academy with a sharp 41-17 win on Monday.
| 01/13/25 vs Hickory Christian Academy | 4 |
| 01/09/25 @ North Hills Christian | 1 |
| 12/16/24 vs Millers Creek Christian | 2 |
| 12/13/24 vs Cornerstone Christian Academy | 3 |
| 12/10/24 @ Sheets Memorial Christian | 3 |
Statesville Christian relied on the efforts of Addison Layne, who went 5 for 10 on her way to 11 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals, and Ava Hughes, who went 5 of 11 en route to 10 points along with six assists and five boards. With that strong performance, Hughes is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Stephanie McDonald was another key player, putting up six points.
Meanwhile, North Hills Christian waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 45-32.
Statesville Christian better keep an eye on Reese Merrell. She was instrumental in North Hills Christian's win, going 7 for 15 on her way to 18 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Merrell has scored at least a third of North Hills Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Kibler, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards.
Statesville Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.4 points per game. As for North Hills Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Statesville Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Hills Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Statesville Christian came up short against North Hills Christian in their previous meeting on Thursday, falling 45-32. Will Statesville Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
