The Fairfax Christian Cardinals will head out on the road to square off against New Hope Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
After a string of four wins, Fairfax Christian's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They received a tough blow as they fell 68-53 to Rock Creek Christian Academy.
Despite the defeat, Fairfax Christian had strong showings from Alex Mostashari, who scored 15 points, and Nijel Howard, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ke'Juan Richburg, who scored six points along with six assists.
Meanwhile, New Hope Academy's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fourth straight defeat. They were dealt a 84-57 loss at the hands of Clinton Grace. While losing is never fun, New Hope Academy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while Clinton Grace is ranked eighth).
Despite their loss, New Hope Academy saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jalen Martinez, who scored 18 points, was perhaps the best of all. DJ Thomas was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.
Fairfax Christian's loss dropped their record down to 26-6. As for New Hope Academy, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 15-19 record this season.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Fairfax Christian have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 49.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like New Hope Academy struggles in that department as they've made 44.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fairfax Christian was able to grind out a solid win over New Hope Academy in their previous matchup on Wednesday, winning 78-70. The rematch might be a little tougher for Fairfax Christian since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
