Basketball Game Preview: Clinton Christian Academy Patriots vs. Heartland Mustangs

Clinton Christian Academy is 2-7 against Heartland since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Clinton Christian Academy Patriots will welcome the Heartland Mustangs at 2:45 p.m. Clinton Christian Academy will be strutting in after a win while Heartland will be coming in after a defeat.

Clinton Christian Academy is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Show-Me Christian: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Clinton Christian Academy blew Show-Me Christian out of the water with a 62-30 final score. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 197th, while the Angels are ranked 463rd), the result back in December of 2024 wasn't entirely unexpected.

Clinton Christian Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isaac Curnutte, who went 6 of 11 from beyond the arc on his way to 22 points and seven steals. Those 22 points gave Curnutte a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Lowe, who went 6 of 7 on his way to 16 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 64 points the game before, Heartland was a bit more limited in their match on Friday. They took a blow against Drexel, falling 56-25. The game marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Clinton Christian Academy will need focus on slowing down Solomon Bollinger, one of several Heartland players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 of 9 on his way to 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Micah Stone, who posted ten points.

Clinton Christian Academy's win bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Heartland, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.

Clinton Christian Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over Heartland in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 55-46. Does Clinton Christian Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Heartland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.