The Community Christian Cyclones will head out to face off against the Mount Calvary Christian Academy Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Back in December of 2024, Community Christian sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 33-31 victory over Howard.
Community Christian found their leader in freshman Autumn Bradshaw, who posted 22 points and four steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which Bradshaw has scored at least a third of Community Christian's points.
Meanwhile, Mount Calvary Christian Academy didn't have too much trouble with Heritage Christian Academy on Tuesday as they won 50-35. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 201st, while the Patriots are ranked 458th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mount Calvary Christian Academy's win came from a few key players Community Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hannah Rice, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 29 boards. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down nine or more in the last 44 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Riley Tuten, who earned 15 points and six steals.
Mount Calvary Christian Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 28 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 44 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Mount Calvary Christian Academy's win bumped their record up to 12-4. As for Community Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Community Christian has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mount Calvary Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 42.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Community Christian lost to Mount Calvary Christian Academy on the road by a decisive 43-29 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rice, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 28 boards. Now that Community Christian knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
