Evangel Christian hasn't had much luck against Valiant Cross Academy recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Evangel Christian Lightning will be home for the holidays to greet the Valiant Cross Academy Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Valiant Cross Academy is hoping to do what Rocket City couldn't on Tuesday: put an end to Evangel Christian's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Evangel Christian claimed a resounding 60-19 win over Rocket City. With the Lightning ahead 31-11 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Evangel Christian can attribute much of their success to Ben Bugnar, who posted nine points along with six boards and three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Asa Wagoner, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 13 points and five rebounds.
Evangel Christian smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Valiant Cross Academy put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Banks Academy 62-31. The 62-point effort marked the Warriors' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Evangel Christian better focus on containing James Cosby and Deshawn Hall as the pair were huge in Valiant Cross Academy's win. Cosby dropped a double-double on 18 points and 15 boards, while Hall dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. Hall has been hot for a while, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 35 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jersey Farbes, who had 11 points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Evangel Christian's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Valiant Cross Academy, their win was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Evangel Christian has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Valiant Cross Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 58.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Evangel Christian ended up a good deal behind Valiant Cross Academy when the teams last played two weeks ago, losing 71-56. Will Evangel Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
