After two games on the road, Northside Christian Academy is heading back home. They will take on the Hickory Grove Christian Lions at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Northside Christian Academy is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Hickory Grove Christian in North Carolina (Northside Christian Academy is ranked 90th, while Hickory Grove Christian is ranked 344th).
Last Sunday, Northside Christian Academy ended up a good deal behind Winston-Salem Christian National and lost 54-39.
Despite the defeat, Northside Christian Academy saw an underclassman step up: Courtney Ashford scored 17 points. Ashford is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last three games she's played. Laylah Toscano was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hickory Grove Christian's three-game losing streak came to an end on Tuesday. They came out on top against Gaston Christian by a score of 44-37. The victory was just what Hickory Grove Christian needed coming off of a 67-16 defeat in their prior contest.
Hickory Grove Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lauren Feaster, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Mackenzie Williams, who scored 17 points.
Northside Christian Academy's loss dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Hickory Grove Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 6-9.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's match: Northside Christian Academy have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.2 threes per game. It's a different story for Hickory Grove Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 3.7 threes per game. Given Northside Christian Academy's sizeable advantage in that area, Hickory Grove Christian will need to find a way to close that gap.
Northside Christian Academy strolled past Hickory Grove Christian when the teams last played back in January of 2023 by a score of 45-30. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Hickory Grove Christian's Taylor Parker, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Northside Christian Academy to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
