Timberlake Christian and Temple Christian are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Timberlake Christian Tornadoes will head out on the road to square off against the Temple Christian Crusaders at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Timberlake Christian focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 17 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Timberlake Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 43-37 to Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy. Timberlake Christian has not had much luck with Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the loss, Timberlake Christian had strong showings from Emma Luther, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Allie Mooney, who scored ten points along with three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mooney has scored all season.
Temple Christian posted their biggest win yet this season last Thursday. They claimed a resounding 50-19 win over Christian Heritage Academy on the road. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 34-10.
Emma Cash was her usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with eight rebounds and seven steals. Another player making a difference was Moriah Greene, who scored ten points along with seven steals and six rebounds.
Timberlake Christian has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for Temple Christian, their win bumped their record up to 6-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Timberlake Christian have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Temple Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Timberlake Christian ended up a good deal behind Temple Christian when the teams last played back in December of 2023, losing 44-26. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Greene, who scored 20 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Now that Timberlake 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.
